Santa Fe Women's Ensemble has been singing together for New Mexico audiences since 1981, and has performed all its Christmas concerts in the acoustically magnificent Loretta Chapel in Santa Fe. The 14-voice group performs seldom-heard and challenging music from all periods, and has commissioned 22 new works. The pieces on this Christmas album are from Christmas and Spring Offering concerts from 2003 to 2005. Dr. Linda Raney has directed the SFWE since 1988 and is director of music and organist at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe. There are 24 songs, some lightly accompanied, in this generous, eclectic collection. Jim Leininger's soaring 'Deo Gracias,' Karl Henning's 'Alleluia in D,' William Byrd's 'Non Nobis, Domaine,' Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's 'What Can Lambkins Do,' Daniel Gawthrop's dissonant 'There Is Sweet Music,' Pavel Chesnokov's 'Otche nash' and Stuart McIntosh's 'Baloo Baleerie' are lovely, rarely-heard, unexpected selections for a Christmas album, but they work. Michael Larkin's 'Ave Maria,' 'Carol of the Drum,' Palestrina's 'Hodie Christus Natus Est,' 'Four Noels,' 'Il est ne, le divin Enfant,' 'Polish Christmas Carols' and Handl's 'O magnum mysterium' are more familiar and no less enjoyable. 'When the Savior Christ is born,' 'He is sleeping in a manger,' 'Sleep Thou, my Jewel,' Keith Christopher's 'Beyond Winter,' Naomi Stephan's 'Hodie' and Uzee Brown Jr.'s 'Oh, the Savior's Comin, Hallelu' are all relatively new to us, lovely and fine. A beautiful, impressive, eclectic holiday collection from one of New Mexico's finest women's ensembles!

Listen to Beyond Winter in RealAudio.