The service of Compline has inspired many incredibly beautiful compositions and this collection gathers together 18 of the many lovely a cappella choral motets written to adorn the evening worship of the church. Composers include Byrd, Guerrero, Rachmaninov and Sheppard, alongside such less well-known masterworks as Rheinberger's Abendlied and the four great Marian motets of Victoria. In addition, the Office of Compline, sung in English with its traditional chants, is included in its entirety on a bonus CD.

Lighten our Darkness sees John Rutter and his Cambridge Singers return to the austere surrounds and sumptuous acoustic of the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral, where many of their classic recordings from the 1980s and early 1990s were recorded.