FOR some, Handel's Messiah makes their Christmas musically complete. For others, myself among them, Britten's A Ceremony of Carols fills the bill. So the Ebor Singers' 20th century Christmas, conducted by Paul Gameson and spearheaded by the Britten work, was a three-line whip.

In its original form, for three-part female (or boys) voices, as here, it has a pristine clarity not found in the full-choir version. Britten combines the manger birth's tenderness with pagan Yule's earthiness.

So did the choir: the varied dynamics of There Is No Rose tailed off into a lovely pianissimo, after an ebullient Wolcum Yole! Moira Johnston's cool soprano made the most of Balulalow, and This Little Babe was rhythmically exciting, emerging with a triumphant unison near its end.

Rachel Dent, taut throughout, brought a properly wintry chill to the harp interlude. There was some imprecise choral chording in In Freezing Winter Night, and the extreme rapidity of Deo Gratias weakened its dotted rhythms, but it was still an invigorating account.

Britten's Canticle IV, The Journey Of The Magi, fared less happily. Jason Darnell declaimed Eliot's poem intelligently in advance: just as well, since the solo trio's diction deteriorated. Each one – Hugo Janacek, Darnell and Ben Phillips – carried his line well, but their teamwork was patchy. Helen Jones supplied crisp support from the piano.

Two Howells carols, including A Spotless Rose, contained the ring of truth, as did Joubert's There Is No Rose, which flowed beautifully.