Just as the birth of the Christmas child took place in a humble stable, the first meeting of 'Nine Lessons and Carols' took place in a wooden emergency building. In 1880, the Bishop of Wales did not yet have a cathedral, which is why his parishioners had to settle for what was called a 'hut'. The bishop's son described Christmas Eve as follows: "From ancient sources, my father compiled a small
… meeting — nine carols and nine small talks, delivered by various ministers of the Church, starting with a chorister and ending with the bishop." In 1918 the tradition was taken up at King's College, Cambridge, and ten years later the first Nine Lessons and Carols was broadcast by the BBC. Paul Hillier has been living in Denmark for about ten years now, but he thinks back with nostalgia to the Christmas evenings of his youth. Since 2008 he has organized his own Nine Lessons and Carols for a Danish audience, with the collaboration of Ars Nova Copenhagen. This CD is the result of the Danish experiment. The program - with Christmas carols, Gregorian chant and motets - roughly follows the line of the Christmas story. However, due to language differences, it was decided not to put the lectures on the CD. (HJ)more
