Britten's A Ceremony of Carols is one of his most popular choral works - and it very much comes into its own at this time of year. In this podcast Dr Lucy Walker explores both the beautiful music of this piece, and its riveting backstory which involves a pioneering harpist, a Canadian bookshop, and a perilous crossing across the Atlantic. She is joined by three musicians who regularly take part in performances of A Ceremony of Carols: harpist Miriam Keogh, soprano Madeleine Holmes, and conductor Ben Vonberg-Clark.
The musical tracks in this podcast are all from A Ceremony of Carols. The recording is performed by the National Youth Girls Choir, with Vicky Lester on harp, conducted by Esther Jones. With grateful thanks to Delphian Records for allowing us to use extracts from this recording.