Martin Luther
Martin Luther’s Christmas hymns sit at the heart of the Lutheran chorale tradition: plain-spoken texts and sturdy tunes written for congregations to sing, still heard in seasonal programmes from the Renaissance through Bach and beyond.
His chorales were meant for the pew, not the gallery. Vernacular words and singable melodies let whole congregations carry the tune in worship and at Christmas. Pieces such as Vom Himmel hoch reappear across later settings by associates and by Bach, keeping a direct melodic line inside richer polyphony. On these discs the hymns stand among lesser-known seasonal works and familiar carols, their clarity cutting through the surrounding Baroque and traditional Christmas repertoire.
Compositions by Martin Luther appear on
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
The Choir of Ormond College, directed by Douglas Lawrence, presents a varied selection of twenty-eight Christmas carols. Familiar favourites sit beside Bach and Pachelbel organ pieces and twentieth-century settings.
A Baroque Christmas
The music on this CD is a historical Christmas “pick of the pops”, from the late 1400s to the end of the Baroque period. Directed by Douglas Lawrence, the Australian Chamber Choir offers a programme recorded live in concert during their 2019 European tour. The 17 tracks are drawn from lesser-known seasonal works, championing a sublime repertoire that is all too often neglected.