A new album from Decca features winter-themed music by the Norwegian-born American composer Ola Gjeilo. Gjeilo himself is at the piano for every piece, and her performs with 12 Ensemble and the Choir of Royal Holloway, conducted by Rupert Gough.
The album features choral settings of texts by a variety of authors. Some of the texts include a poem by Emily Brontë, best known as the author of “Wuthering Heights,” and poetry by Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-century nun, composer and author.
Other pieces are Gjeilo’s new arrangements of Christmas favorites, such as “Silent Night” and “The Holly and the Ivy.” A few purely instrumental pieces round out the album.
