This recording traverses Canada, America and the British isles in music that has helped define the culture of those nations. England is represented by two of its most celebrated composers, Holst and Vaughan Williams, and the iconic Scottish Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung to greet each New Year. Celebrated Canadian songs include Jimmy Rankins Juno Award-winning 'Fare thee well, love'. Eric Whitacre's distinctive harmonic clusters can be heard in 'Go, lovely rose', and Gordon Lightfoot counts Bob Dylan among his many fans, Dylan once declaring that when he heard a song such as 'Pussy willows, Cat-tails' he wished it would last forever. The Elora Singers, founded in 1980 by artistic director Noel Edison, is an all-professional Grammy and twice Juno-nominated chamber choir known for its rich, warm sound and clarity of texture. They are also renowned for their commitment to Canadian repertoire and for their collaborations with other artists from across Canada and around the world. {Naxos}

This new recording by the Elora Singers (formerly known as the Elora Festival Singers), is like a breath of fresh air. There's a serene gentleness to their delivery, that flows over you like a reviving mist. Over the years they've released many fine discs covering a range of genres and composers. Some of the stand-outs include music by Morten Lauridsen, Arvo Pärt, Healey Willan, and of course their Christmas collection titled 'The Mystery Of Christmas'. During the many years that I worked in music retail, I distinctly remember that particular CD outselling every other Christmas collection in the store, and sometimes by a very wide margin. They're considered one of the finest chamber choirs in Canada.

One of the appeals of this collection is the wide variety of folklore songs, 21 in all, ranging from a sea shanty like Fogarty's Cove (1976) by Stan Rogers to Go, lovely rose (1991) by Eric Whitacre, to Three Shakespeare Songs (1951) by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Songs that all require different techniques and perceptions to convey their style and spirit. The Elora Singers have got this covered. For example, one of the most difficult things for a choir to do while singing a capella over a few minutes, is to maintain and remain on pitch, especially while singing music as harmonically complex and shifting like the Vaughan Williams. The title track And So It Goes by Billy Joel, believe it or not, is the song that downright grabbed my attention and the one that I keep listening to over and over again. It defines the Elora Singers, and the work Noel Edison has done with them over the years, and demonstrates how beautiful an exceptionally good choir can sound.