I am usually impervious to Christmas compilations, but happily make an exception for this 2004 offering from Bayer. For a start it has no carols or pseudo-carols! The music is mostly from Late Renaissance to Early Baroque Northern Europe (with the addition of two motets by Bruckner), and much of it is rarely heard. The pieces are short, the longest lasting less than three and a half minutes, and form part of the Christmas Eve service in Regensburg Cathedral. The texts on which they are based come from both Old and New Testament sources, and taken in the recorded sequence they provide an effective story leading up to the Nativity of Christ and its aftermath. The variety of styles and changes in pace in performance provide continual listening interest.

Presence of the Regensburg 'Cathedral Sparrows' as the boy's choir is affectionately known, is featured in the title and sleeve notes, but they are of course only a part of the of the Cathedral's full male voice choir. Their fame is second only to that of the Vienna Boy's Choir, and on their photograph at the back of the sleeve note, they look suspiciously angelic!

They do, however, have angelic voices. Their tone production is typical of Continental European boys choirs, in that they are open-throated and have a slightly buzzy edge, which cuts through complex textures and registers very well in expansive cathedral acoustics. This tone production is to my ears greatly preferable and more natural than the 'hooting' sound which has been encouraged in many English cathedrals. The tenors and particularly the basses are also excellent, and there is a strong sense of ensemble. The Domspatzen use their bright tone to great effect in spirited and thrilling climaxes, but in quieter pieces they can also sing very softly and sweetly. Articulation is as good as it can be in a reverberant building, and the choir clearly understand their texts and the dramatic ebb and flow of the story they are telling, and sing accordingly.

The PCM recording manages to place the choir into the Cathedral acoustic but to bring them close enough for us to hear the vocal departments and complex inner polyphonic strands very clearly.

A very entertaining and well-performed disc of mostly unfamiliar but very good quality music. Long may the Cathedral Sparrows chirp!

Copyright © 2007 John Miller and HRAudio.net

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