Mathias: Jesus College Service, Op. 53

“Central to this valuable anthology of Mathias's church music is the tautly concentrated Missa brevis of 1973. It’s the outer movements that are most impressive, the Kyrie drawn tensely together in a mesh of tight major and minor intervals, the Agnus Dei uneasily stretching forth towards a still distant eternity.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2009 ****

“What shines through this entire programme is Mathias's life-affirming energy and his unquenchable streak of optimism. …these are superbly polished performances that, together with Jonathan Vaughn's jovial accompaniments and lively solos… provide a showcase for one of the late 20th century's more distinctive composers for the church.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2009

“Christ Church, Oxford, has produced another distinguished recording, with Stephen Darlington conducting a choir fully in sympathy with William Mathias's choral music. And what an attractive programme it is! There is a neat transition from the antiphon O Rex Gloriae to the little Canzonetta for organ, played by Simon Lawford with understanding and a fair degree of emotional restraint. To have placed that short organ piece at that precise point in the programme was one of those felicitous strokes of programme planning that prompts me to place this disc in a higher category than several other choral recordings I can think of, all of equal merit in other respects.” Gramophone Magazine

“These are simply radiant performances. The boy trebles rather dominate yet the overall blend of the voices is impressive offering a pleasing tonal colouring and firm ensemble. The sound quality is ideal, communicating a fine balance between immediacy and intimacy. Nimbus has done a fine job” MusicWeb International, August 2012