14/12/2025
Sir John Rutter celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this year (we at Hyperion wish him very many more) and so it's only appropriate to include one of Hyperion's albums dedicated exclusively to Rutter's music on our list of Christmas favourites.
Although there is much more to his output than an extensive catalogue of carols and arrangements, of course, for many choirs and congregations Christmas without this repertoire would be unthinkable. Rutter is a much-loved composer, with long-standing collaborations writing for some of the great church and collegiate choirs worldwide, besides a choir and record label of his own (The Cambridge Singers, founded in 1981, followed shortly thereafter by Collegium Records). Add to this his experience and success as a conductor—not only of his own music, it should be noted— and you could be forgiven for wondering whether other accounts can hope to compete with the composer's own. But the reviews for the Hyperion album of Stephen Layton conducting Polyphony were unanimous: 'hard to imagine them better performed'; 'ideal in tone, style and accomplishment'; 'a treat for all Rutter fans'; 'one of the highlights of the year' …
'What sweeter music?' is especially lovely. Written in 1988, it offered, according to its composer, 'the first opportunity I had to put pen to paper for the choir in my long and friendly association with King's College. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to write for the slot in the service immediately after the reading about the journey of the Wise Men—the chance to highlight in the text the idea of the gifts that we can bring.' Which leads us to the Hyperion cover, one of those paintings which is familiar without being able to put a name to the artist. But this traditional depiction of The Three Kings needs little explanation, beyond adding that the original is a (widely copied) pencil and watercolour artwork by the German artist Paul Hey (1867-1952).
📷 Richard Heeps
