“‘The First Noel’ is one of the most beautiful melodies. Along with the power of the harmonies that we all know and love, it ends up having this warm Christmassy feel, this mince-pies-and-mulled-wine-sounding texture. For this version, we’re working with the choir Tenebrae and a septet of strings, recording harmonics and textures to weave in and out of the vocal ensemble like little bits of tinsel on the tree.”