The choral group The King’s Singers have long defied musical pigeonholing with a discography and concert-programming policy which has embraced early music and close harmony arrangements of pop songs alike. Gramophone followed them through the late summer and autumn, as they performed in Kendal and recorded in North London, and asked them about their latest disc – a jazz arrangement of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

Continuing the Christmas theme, Fabrice Fitch offers his pick of this year’s Festive Releases, and our critics name the recording they’ll be giving as Christmas presents in our annual Critic’s Choice feature.

In a rare interview, Peter Quantrill talks to composer Arvo Pärt and leading conductors who champion this enigmatic Estonian’s music. And in this month’s Collection David Gutman listens to the discography of Mahler’s unfinished Tenth Symphony and names his leading interpretations.

On the Gramophone Player this month

Listen to music from the Recording of the Month – Eric Whitacre’s "Light and Gold" on Decca – and the Editor’s Choice recordings, DVD and Reissue of the Month.

This month’s complete work: Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, performed by Gidon Kremer, Tatjana Grindenko and Alfred Schnittke, with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra conducted by Saulius Sondeckis. Courtesy of ECM New Series.

The King’s Singers recording of Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen by Praetorius, from Signum Records.

Excerpts from the leading recordings in the Mahler Symphony No 10 Collection.

Coming soon…
This month’s newly transferred Archive Recording: Tenor René Soames singing music by John Dowland and John Danyel, with Walter Gerwig on lute and Johannes Koch on viola da gamba, from 1958.

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