If only to rekindle the spirit of Christmas past, when spacious churches were filled to capacity, where everything glowed to the shimmering vigil light of votive candles, and the sound of the choir and organ up in the loft seemed to drift down from far away and long ago, this recording of Advent hymns and carols certainly impels these memories to resurface.

As noted in the booklet notes, the Choir of Saint Patrick's Cathedral is made up of 24 boy choristers, the girl's choir (24 choristers and 16 scholars), 8 lay vicars choral, and a number of choral scholars. The choristers are educated at Saint Patrick's Choir School, the oldest school in Ireland, founded in 1432. On this recording they were directed by Stuart Nicholson and organist David Leigh. Unfortunately, due to Saint's Patrick Cathedral undergoing roof repairs at the time this recording took place, the sound you hear emanates from within the walls of The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Dublin. But based on what I hear, it seems to project the same scope of acoustics that one would hear within the Cathedral itself.

The selection of pieces range from the 14th century to present day compositions, including the world premiere of There is no rose by Jack Oades, a former organ scholar at Saint Patrick's, and now a DJ, bassist, singer, jazz musician & composer based in Dublin. But fear not, this piece is one of the highlights on this CD and actually enhances the overall aural pleasure of this recording, with its ethereal character that seems to transcend time.

As for the audio engineering itself, it's exemplary in the sense that it sits you down in a pew situated in the center of the church, and simply allows the sound to reverberate through the building and wash over you, as if drifting down from far away and long ago, just like a fond and tender memory of Christmas past. Enjoy!