Warlock: As dew in Aprylle

“The Peter Warlock of the evergreen CapriolSuite and the boisterous songs seems a world away from the introverted and intense artist of these unaccompanied choral carols. Perhaps Warlock's real genius was an ability to create profound expression in short musical structures, but even the more outgoing pieces – the joyful Benedicamus Domino and the Cornish ChristmasCarol, with its gentle hint at 'The First Nowell' – have an artistic integrity which raises them high above the level of the syrup of modern-day carol settings. Given performances as openly sincere and sensitive as these, few could be unmoved. In the two Moeran madrigal suites there's an indefinable Englishness – the result of a deep awareness of tradition and love of the countryside. The Finzi Singers' warm-toned, richly expressive voices capture the very essence of this uniquely lovely music.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“In a tremendously imaginative programme of 20th-century works, from Howell's sublime 'Here is the Little Door' to the world premier of the John Tavenor carol that gives the CD its name, the Choir of St John's explores corners of the festive repertoire with refinement and gusto in equal measure.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007