Chants, Chestnuts and Other Joyful Noise

Don’t be put off by the Latin title. Drawn from Praetorius’ magnum opus, this “Festive Concert of Peace and Joy” offers soaring, sumptuous Renaissance works, performed gloriously. Disc One consists of works related to Christmas; Disc Two ranges more widely, embracing Easter and general prayers for peace. Both are intoxicating in ornamented vocal writing, colorful instrumentation and deeply felt expression.

Recordings are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good), four stars (excellent).