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Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music.

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Allyson Devenish pulls out of her sack a festive selection of seasonal new releases including Liszt's piano suite Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas Tree), a Christmas album from baritone Benjamin Appl, baroque Christmas cantatas by Johann Kuhnau and a release called Ukrainian Christmas.

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Building a Library
Jeremy Summerly chooses his favourite version of Britten's Ceremony of Carols

Britten composed A Ceremony of Carols in 1942, while crossing the Atlantic on the Axel Johnson, a Swedish cargo ship. The Second World War was raging and the composer and his partner Peter Pears were returning to Britain after a period in the US. So this perennial Christmas favourite was composed under imminent threat of attack by German U-Boats. It was originally scored for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. Its text is taken from a mixture of anonymous medieval songs and later poems rather than familiar carols. Not all of the texts are about the birth of Jesus or even about winter 鈥� in fact one of them is called the Spring Carol. The series of joyful but sometimes dark songs is unified by the framing device of a processional and recessional chant. It contains favourites such as "Wolcum Yole", "There is no rose of such vertu" and "This Little Babe". Much of it is written as simple, melodic rounds. It is one of the many works Britten skilfully crafted and tailored to the vocal abilities of young children.

Recommended version
Joshua Davidson (treble)
Victoria Meteyard (soprano)
Grace Davidson (soprano)
Martha McLorinan (alto)
Camilla Pay (harp)
Tenebrae
Nigel Short (conductor)
Signum SIGCD690

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Record of the Week: Andrew鈥檚 top pick.

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