I’m writing this review in the heart of autumn. The leaves have shed their bright green, and in turn, the trees are shedding those leaves. This year has flown by, and Advent and Christmas are now merely weeks away. As if on cue, sacred choral music is raising its voice again in anticipation and celebration of the coming holidays. But the neat thing about Dan Locklair’s From East to West & Other Choral Works is that it can ring in Christian feast days across the year in the span of an hour and five minutes.

This SAI Friend of the Arts tackles the art of composition with the precision of a scientist. In his liner notes, he describes his use of tritones in the title piece as a way to “symbolize the expanse of ‘East to West’, and ‘shore to shore’ that Christ’s birth and life sought to bridge”. You will find compositions in English and Latin, from soft a capella, to bright and booming brass with Onyx Brass, and the fierce classicism of organist David Goode. The Choir of Royal Holloway, under the direction of Rupert Gough, gives Locklair’s pieces the justice they deserve. At the risk of sounding cliché, there is a divine quality to their voices that feels like we are intruding on the rehearsal of the heavenly host.

If you’re looking for a rich, colossal Christmas (or Easter, or Ordinary Time), Dan Locklair certainly delivers.