Bruckner: Vexilla regis

“within seconds you are hooked...you are listening to a choir of humans who sing like angels...pitching in with total commitment at every possible dynamic level from fortissimo to the whisper of dulcet prayer...[the tenors] are remarkably healthy; while the basses have the kind of deep vigour mostly associated with Russian voices. What’s in Scotland’s water, vodka?” The Times, 25th March 2011

“These motet performances...are thrillingly homogenous, conveying well the unifying purpose of the works, but also the ecstatic quality that pervades the mighty Ecce sacerdos and the quiet affirmation of Locus iste.” The Scotsman, 5th April 2011

“Ferguson’s singers are beyond reproach; intonation is never less than perfect and the sound made at full stretch is glorious – higher lines piercingly clear thanks to the cathedral’s choristers singing the soprano parts. We also get the two Aequale for three trombones, played here with sombre magnificence. Brilliant.” The Arts Desk, 16th April 2011

“This performance is just superb. It's the kind of disc you want to turn up to full volume and lose yourself in, whether you're of a religious bent or not. Through their crisp, measured phrases, limpid textures, and their reverent but never syrupy tone, they've captured the simplicity and humility of both texts and music...This is a disc to be revisited and savoured again and again.” bbc.co.uk, 8th April 2011

“There's plenty of drive and commitment to this performance, which adds a sense of spiritual relevance beyond the solely musical...the overall effect is surprisingly uplifting thanks to the clarity and directness of the performance, helped by the cathedral's wonderful acoustic.” Classic FM Magazine, June 2011 ****

“this is Bruckner performed with no holds barred, but instead sung with passionate conviction and raw energy - there is nothing remotely polite about MacBruckner...you cannot but be aware of Bruckner's originality, and command of texture and sonority: can the art of modulation ever have been bettered? To hear this marvellous music given with such urgency and all-out commitment is a remarkable experience.” International Record Review, May 2011

“The Edinburgh singers perform with a robust though polished fervour. Alto, tenor and bass lines are beyond reproach, while the mixed-sex treble line copes admirably with exposed writing. The recorded sound is first-class, capturing both voices and instruments (including some excellent organ-playing) with an engaging immediacy.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2011

“The Edinburgh choristers (a mix of boy trebles and girls) are fearless in confronting Bruckner’s demands...This is an excellent disc. The performances are thrilling and intense and they are captured in an excellent recording that mixes spaciousness and clarity. The contributions of the uncredited organist (Nicholas Wearne?) and the RSAMD trombonists add a splendid sonority to some of the items.” MusicWeb International, 11th July 2011

“There’s not a dud moment here...Ferguson’s singers are beyond reproach; intonation is never less than perfect and the sound made at full stretch is glorious – higher lines piercingly clear thanks to the cathedral’s choristers singing the soprano parts” The Arts Desk, 15th April 2011

“Of the 'chamber-like' versions of this Mass, Polyphony trumps all others for beauty of tone. At the end of the Agnus, where the sopranos don't have bulk, they gleam. In the Benedictus, too, musical sense arises from transparency and intelligent shaping. The performances of the motets are excellent, too, painting nuanced pictures of these vocally and philosophically stratospheric pieces.” BBC Music Magazine, November 2007 *****

“The seven unaccompanied motets are absolute gems. An ethereal account of Ave Maria has a breadth and grandeur which belies its short time-span; as the vocal lines crowd in on each other, the effect is nothing short of electrifying. And popular as it is, if there has to be a ‘definitive’ interpretation on disc of Locus iste, this has to be it. Put it simply, we’re unlikely to hear choral singing as fine as this for a good few years to come” Gramophone Magazine

“Hyperion long ago paid signal service to Bruckner's mature settings of the Mass with recordings by Matthew Best's Corydon Singers of all three (see review of the F minor below). Interestingly, their 1985 recording of the E minor Mass has just been re-reissued on the budget Helios label, providing pretty powerful opposition to any new release, let alone one at full price. But while the Corydons were the choir parexcellence on Hyperion in the 1980s and '90s, the torch has been passed to Polyphony, whose sound is, if anything, even more smoothly rounded, more fully blended and more sumptuous.
In Stephen Layton, too, they have a director who is every bit as openly communicative, and while Best reveals the soul of Bruckner's sacred utterings more intensely, Layton (who also uses the 1882 version), produces such gorgeous sound from his singers that the overall listening experience is infinitely satisfying.
There's no doubt that the latest Hyperion recording, made in Ely Cathedral, has more presence and atmosphere than that made over 20 years earlier in St Alban's Church, Holborn.
That certainly helps produce an ideal balance between wind ensemble and singers, the delicate woodwind flutterings of the Benedictus providing a delicious undercurrent to the broad, spacious choral lines. The rare moments of climax are nicely restrained and never impinge on the overall calmness of Bruckner's setting.
Splendid as the performance of the Mass is, the seven unaccompanied motets which surround it on this disc are absolute gems. An ethereal account of Ave Maria has a breadth and grandeur which belies its short time-span; as the vocal lines crowd in on each other, the effect is nothing short of electrifying. And popular as it is, if there is to be a 'definitive' interpretation on disc of Locus iste, this has to be it. Put simply, we're unlikely to hear choral singing as fine as this for a good few years to come.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“...the sound they make is simply wonderful. This CD can't come recommended highly enough...The disc opens with "Ave Maria", and the ethereal performance is as near to perfect as you could imagine ever hearing.” Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 13th December 2007

“The least often performed of Bruckner’s mature works are his short choral pieces. Most of these 17 pieces are unaccompanied and purely choral, but three are accompanied by three trombones, a striking effect…Few would guess that they were Bruckner, though occasionally the harmonies are so daring that few composers would have dared to use them. The performances here are given by a Czech Choir with a characteristic, central European sound, rougher, more throaty than one would expect from a British choir, and in that way welcome… they are impressive and I suggest going to the last three to find that out.” Michael Tanner, BBC Music Magazine

“The choral works, in particular, were written more often than not for local church choirs or amateur choral societies - often of professional caliber, of course, but groups who were there not so much to make a beautiful sound as to cherish the meaning of the words through the music. This is precisely the quality that Robert Shewan and his singers have captured in this exceptionally generous program of sacred and secular choral works. Some of the tempos are quite slow, but so rich are the sounds, and so telling the choir's seeming joy in the words, that time seems suspended....This is a deeply moving release, and the sonic are really gorgeous” Fanfare