David Rees-Williams Trio: Ex-Mass

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There’s no singing on this jolly blast of an album, which successfully mingles sentiment, intelligence, cheesiness and reverence. It’s also one of those rare beasts – a Christmas disc which you... — The Arts Desk, 22nd December 2012 More…

Release Date: 12th Nov 2012
Catalogue No: CHRCD047
Label: Champs Hill Records
Length: 63 minutes

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Gabriel's Message

Work length6:06

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Personent Hodie

Work length4:42

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Peter Warlock, Phil Laslett: Bethlehem Down

Work length6:47

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Quem Pastores

Work length5:23

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Der Tag ...

Work length3:29

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Rocking

Work length6:10

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Erbarm Dich ...

Work length4:09

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Malcolm Sargent, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Zither Carol

Work length3:32

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Stille Nacht

Work length6:37

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: King Jesus Hath a Garden

Work length4:31

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: O Come, O Come

Work length6:21

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David Rees-Williams Trio

David Rees-Williams, Neil Francis, Phil Laslett: Il Est Né, Le Divin Enfant

Work length5:24

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David Rees-Williams Trio

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About

In the spirit of Yuletide, David Rees‐Williams takes Christmas melodies and transforms them via his eclectic musical sensibility ‐ a kind of musical alchemy.

The David Rees‐Williams Trio was formed in 1988 and features David Rees‐Williams, Neil Francis and Phil Laslett. Based in Canterbury, they have performed at a variety of concerts and festivals over the years and now specialise in a programme that unites the best of classical and jazz.

From earliest times, Christmas has been a period of mixing disparate things together. A pagan celebration of the winter solstice gets appropriated by Christian Rome and Christmas springs into life. The ancient German pantheistic worship of winter greenery is tarted up with baubles and tinsel by the Victorians and becomes the beloved Christmas tree.

These transformations include Stille Nacht, usually suggesting a peaceful snowy scene, but this rendition plays on the carol’s alter‐ego as cold, scary and full of mystery.

Gabriel's Message, based on passages from St Luke’s Gospel, tells the story of Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary that she will be the future mother of Christ. The arrangement of this poignant tune almost touches on the feel of a soft "progressive rock" style ballad.

Bach’s sorrowful Erbarm’ dich mein is turned into a no holds barred humorous arrangement. Canonic patterns, improvisation, eastern European folk modes, film music and jazz are all parts of the Rees‐Williams musical engine too.

This recording brings together a wide range of Christmas melodies, allowing medieval tunes to rub shoulders with prog‐rock, street samba and blues here, as only the David Rees‐Williams Trio can.

Although the title "Ex‐Mass" is a word play on the obvious ‘Xmas’, the Latin prefix also suggests that the music is removed from its normal place. The compilation avoids the obvious and concentrates on other beautiful and seasonally relevant melodies, from the ancient to the more modern.

Reviews

22nd December 2012

There’s no singing on this jolly blast of an album, which successfully mingles sentiment, intelligence, cheesiness and reverence. It’s also one of those rare beasts – a Christmas disc which you can imagine listening to after the event...Handsomely produced and annotated too.

David Rees-Williams Trio: Ex-Mass

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