text from Christmas Poem by George Mackay Brown. Par DAVIES PETER MAXWELL. As Master of the Queens Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies has written a new carol for Her Majesty the Queen each Christmas since his appointment began in 2004. Kings and Shepherds is the fourth and like An Heavenly Song, Wonder Tidings and The Yule-tide Bell, will be published as part of the Schott Royal Collection. Written for the 2008 Christmas service and performed in the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace, Kings and Shepherds is a short traditional setting of Christmas Poem by George Mackey Brown, a poet who lived near to Maxwell Davies on the Orkney Islands. A wonderful addition to the carol repertoire and ideal for amateur choirs looking to programme new pieces./ Recueil / Choeur Mixte SATB

These words of this carol, full of colours and rich in symbolism, are from the Cherry Tree Carol , a popular folk carol telling a legend which goes back at least as far as the Coventry Mystery Plays. The piece received its first two performances on the same day, by Robinson College Choir and Clare College Choir, in Cambridge, and was later recorded by Robinson College Choir, conducted by Timothy Brown. The main tune should have an easy-going lilt, which turns into light, sprightly dancing for the refrain. An inspiring selection of new works from a range of contemporary composers, the Novello New Choral Series offers pieces for all types of choirs, including sacred and secular works from simple, four-part settings to more expansive, yet accessible, repertoire in an exciting variety of styles. Jeremy Thurlow is a composer, writer and pianist. His music has been described as 'seductive, innovative, full of freshness' by Henri Dutilleux. It has been performed by the BBC Philharmonic, the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, Rolf Hind, the BBC Singers, Endymion, Carmen Elektra, Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Matthew Schellhorn and Sequitur (New York), among others. In 2007 he won the George Butterworth Award for new composition. As a musicologist he writes on French music in the twentieth century. His book on composer Henri Dutilleux is published in French by Millénaire III, and he has written and broadcast on the music of Messiaen and many other 20th-century composers, frequently appearing on Radio 3's CD Review. / Choeur SATB

Par WEELKES THOMAS. SSATBB unaccomapanied Edited by David Brown, Walter Collins and Peter le Huray/ Répertoire / SATBB sans Accompagnement

Quelques-uns des morceaux les plus originaux de compositeurs contemporains de musique sacrée sont rassemblés ici, dans cette superbe collection. Ils sont plus particulièrement dirigés vers les directeurs de chorales qui cherchent à interpréter des morceaux spéciaux pour Noël. Dix-sept chants - dans des versions "a capella" et accompagné. Inclus entre autres "The Lamb" (Tavener), "I Sing Of A Maiden" (Berkeley), "The Holly And The Ivy" (Lutoslawski), "Jesus Christ The Apple Tree" (Poston) et "One Star At Last" (Maxwell Davies). / [Chester Book Of Carols] / Classique / Partition /