‘Hodie! Contemporary Christmas Carols’ brings together a compelling selection of contemporary Christmas carols and arrangements, a snapshot of a rich and exciting repertoire of Christmas music.

Four of these pieces were commissioned in recent years for the annual Christmas Carol Service at the Portsmouth Grammar School: Malcolm Archer’s 'Angels from the Realms of Glory', Alexander L’Estrange’s 'Hodie!', Richard Rodney-Bennett’s 'Coventry Carol' and Tarik O’Regan’s 'Ecce Puer'.

The school has developed a national reputation for commissioning new works by contemporary composers, and this recording by the school’s Chamber Choir at Jesus College, Cambridge, is a balanced blend of well-known melodies and new ideas by contemporary composers, with a few classic Christmas items thrown in for good measure.