In this tender account of verses from the Wedderburn brothers’ translation of Luther’s Christmas Eve Carol Vom Himmel hoch, the composer has illuminated in his individual manner words familiar from settings by Britten and by Warlock. The piece is dedicated to the memory of Philippa Gower, who died in her twentieth year. Subtle, restless chromatic harmony and phrasing evoke the imminent danger threatening the baby Jesus, while for Mary, too, there is not only the natural anxiety of a mother for h...