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The Sacred Flame - Cambridge Singers   

I'll be honest, my mental image of the Cambridge Singers is of rather heavy handed singing, suitable for John Rutter's jolly carols, but not exactly competition for the Sixteen. However in this collection of Renaissance and Baroque they have proved they can do subtlety too. The Monteverdi pieces bounce along with just enough lightness. There's a wonderful range of the best music here. Gesualdo's O vos omnes, for example, is full of 'he can't do that!' moments - it's electrifying. Buxtehude's chunky and jubilant Magnificat adds a little light relief among the exquisite likes of Victoria and Josquin Desprez... and it runs through neatly through Schütz to the (relatively) trendy 'new' music of Mr Bach.

All in all a great collection.

CDs by Westminster Cathedral Choir

With one exception, the top UK choirs specialising in this kind of music have protestant connections. But one Roman Catholic cathedral has a choir that is right up at the top - that's Westminster. The effortless precision and beauty of these voices can teach any of their rivals a thing or two. Anyone who enjoys this kind of music can expect to have some Westminster CDs on the shelf.

Exultate Deo - Westminster Cathedral Choir   

Arguably the best wide-ranging sampler available for this period, with the delightfully crisp and seducing sound of the Westminster Cathedral Choir. It's like Who's Who of the period. Classic CD said 'For anyone eager to sample varied music from the Golden Age of polyphony this is a perfect disc' - and who are we to argue?  

Byrd - Ave verum corpus, Civitatis Sancti tui, Haec dies, Tallis - Salvator mundi, O nata lux, In manus tuas, Palestrina - Sicut cervus, Exultate Deo, Philips - Ascendit Deus, Ave verum corpus, Allegri - Miserere, Parsons - Ave Maria, Lotti - Crucifixus, Viadana - Exultate justi

Tye - Omnes gentes, Gabrieli - Jubilate Deo, Monteverdi - Cantate Domino, Victoria - O quam gloriosum

A Ceremony of Carols - Westminster Cathedral Choir  

Not everyone likes Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, but if you do (and we do) it's an electrifying experience, from the haunting fade in of the processional through the wonderfully spiky music in some carols, suggestive of ice and snow, and the simple beauty of some others. Makes the most of boys voices, and as usual Westminster do an excellent job. There are samples on the Amazon.co.uk site, so if you don't know the piece, have a listen. The CD includes for good measure Britten's delightful Missa Brevis and one or two shorter numbers. Highly recommended.