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 ‘The Owl’s 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.”