If Christmas and the New Year are times for celebrating the Old and the New, then A Song for Christmas warmly embraces both. Cantabile – The London Quartet return to disc on Champs Hill with a festive collection of almost entirely new arrangements and pieces, ranging from traditional choral favourites such as Warlock’s Bethlehem Down to American songbook hits like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and more in between. The London Quartet is one of Britain’s longest-established vocal ensembles. Since they became widely known in the early 1980s they have mastered a wide array of musical styles which they have taken to a worldwide audience, always remaining true to their core vocal texture which is unmistakably rooted in the great English choral tradition. Accompanied by pianist Chris Hatt, this is the ensemble’s first recording with their present line up; Sarah-Ann Cromwell (soprano), Christopher O’Gorman (tenor), Mark Fleming (tenor) and Michael Steffan (baritone).