Apollo5: A Spotless Rose by Herbert Howells

A Spotless Rose by Herbert Howells features on Apollo5's Christmas album, A Deep But Dazzling Darkness, released on 3rd December 2021 on the Voces8 Records label.
The album presents rarely-heard consort arrangements of pieces more typically heard sung by a full choir, alongside a carefully curated selection of the finest contemporary repertoire, with the group’s one-to-a-part trademark sound lending a sparkling, revelatory texture to celebrate the magical qualities of dark winter nights.
The spirit that Apollo5 seeks to capture with the music it has chosen for A Deep but Dazzling Darkness is embodied in the words of lyricist, Jennifer Thorp: “In many traditional yuletide carols and poems a balance is posed between a dark, wild winter world and the intimate golden safety of human celebration. Pagan roots run deep here - particularly when it comes to the passing of the year - and festivals reflect that connection to darkness, with fires, feasts and revels that glow brightest through long nights.”
The cover art for A Deep but Dazzling Darkness was created by award winning painter and illustrator Catherine Hyde. catherinehyde.co.uk .
This music video was created by Tim Vaughan of Voces8 Studios. Set design Jan Keliris.
The critically acclaimed British vocal ensemble Apollo5 is based in London at the Voces8 Centre and is part of the Voces8 Foundation - our aim is to inspire people through music with an innovative education outreach programme alongside a busy schedule of concert performances around the world.
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Apollo5:
Penelope Appleyard
Clare Stewart
Josh Cooter
Oli Martin-Smith
Greg Link