Music review: 'Christmas in New Spain' offers an evening of spirited, cheerful tunes

In recent years, the Folger Consort's annual Christmas concert has undertaken a grand tour of the early European music world, with stops in Spain, Italy, France and Germany. This season, the ensemble has traveled to the Americas and unearthed a selection of rarely heard festive music from New Spain. The program, which opened Friday evening at the Folger Shakespeare Library, offered spirited, intimate music-making, if not a profound sense of discovery.