All the Stars Looked Down: A John Rutter Celebration

Christmas carol services around the world owe much to the work of two men. John Rutter and David Willcocks, both knighted for their services to music, met in the mid-1960s when the former was a student at Clare College in Cambridge and the latter was director of music at neighbouring King’s College. Rutter’s Nativity Carol, an evergreen product of his schooldays, was adopted by Willcocks and his renowned choir, launching a collaboration that gave new life to the carol tradition. All the Stars Looked Down pays tribute to Rutter in his 80th birthday year and to Willcocks’ enduring legacy with a selection of seasonal favourites and less familiar pieces, “Candlelight” from Five Meditations for Orchestra a tender delight among them. The title track, written in memory of Stephen Cleobury, Daniel Hyde’s immediate predecessor as music director at King’s, embodies Rutter’s flawless craft and genius for melodic invention, as does his exquisite Dormi Jesu.