TRADITIONAL carols spiced with several modern arrangements made up Cantores Olicanae's attractive Christmas programme, conducted for the first time by Rory Wainwright Johnston. Tradition, not surprisingly, included a tribute to the work of Sir David Willcocks, a former Director of the famous Choir of King's College Chapel, Cambridge. Cantores entered the Church to his imposing arrangement of the 15th Century French melody O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. The audience joined in with other Willcocks settings including O Come All Ye Faithful, Good King Wenceslas, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. All were accompanied by the organ of St John's played by Robert Sudall. Cantores sang the soaring descants. Willcocks' arrangements of Thomas Oliphant's Deck the Hall and the Basque traditional carol, Gabriel's Message, were both sung with agility and feeling by the Choir.

Cantores' performance of Harold Darke's exquisite setting of In the Bleak Midwinter- with Robert Sudall's muted organ accompaniment - was a highlight of the evening.

This raises an important matter. Robert's Christmas Fantasy was announced in the programme as an item for solo organ but had to be played on the piano. I gather that the organ of St John's is now virtually unplayable - except for 'slower' music such as the aforementioned carols.

An impressive list of modern - and largely unaccompanied settings - sang by Cantores this year included Howard Skempton's Adam Lay Ybounden, Bob Chilcot's The Bethlehem Star, John Hewitt's Ragtime Carol and Will Todd's My Lord has Come. The choir's finely balanced ebb and flow in Philip Wilby's The Word Made Flesh and Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium (O Great Mystery) deserve special mention.

Winter Wonderland and Sleigh Ride were played by young pianist Aidan Joyce. These delightful pieces added a seasonal flavour as unmistakable as the mulled wine and mince pies served during the interval.

Geoffrey Mogridge