We listened to this all evening last night, waiting for Christmas Eve Service. It is a lovely collection of exquisitely executed and profoundly beautiful carols. We cried from the sheer beauty of it. Our ninety-five year old Grandmother cried as the music transported her back to King’s College during the War when she heard this singular choir sing many times. She said listening to The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols provided a much needed respite of beauty, peace, and hope during those tumultuous times. We are so thankful to have this stunning collection.

All this album has proven is that Cleobury needed to die or retire much sooner than he did. Gradually over the past few years the program at Kings has gone to the dogs. Album after album being pumped out with reckless abandon, with such dry, and sterile interpretations of otherwise magnificent works. Stephen has nearly singlehandedly raped, and then murdered the once brilliant choral tradition at Kings, and it shows through his lacking attempts in creativity and interpretation of hymns and song. The boys, especially on this last album show their undignified female influence through their swine-like vibrato in various works. This disgusting sin is unforgivable and now makes the choir no better than any other common run-of-the-mill mixed ensemble that to uses guttural, and forced vibrato succumbing to the fads of today’s grotesque choral traditions. God, I hope with Cleobury’s successor these wrongs Stephen has created and allowed to happen can be erased, dashed, and cast into Hell where they belong. Good Riddance!