Home listening - carols galore – and where they came from

The Guardian 0

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, corner the Advent market. Plus, a standout Christmas disc from Sonoro

• We are in the season of Advent, a time once reserved for quiet reflection before 25 December. Now, wherever we turn, it’s dubbed “the run-up to Christmas”, as though we must all join a frantic race to the mince-pie-and-mulled-wine finish line. Whatever, Advent, with its concentration on the fundamentals of life and existence, is far more interesting musically than Christmas, offering endless inspiration for carols and anthems.

The choir of St John’s College, Cambridge has been cornering the market in this music since it started broadcasting its annual Service for Advent With Carols in 1981. You can listen again to last Sunday’s broadcast on Radio 3 iPlayer or enjoy music selected from broadcasts made over the past four years in a new release on Signum, Advent Live.