Britten: Missa Brevis in D major, Op. 63

“The two outstanding features are the high quality of the choral singing and the fairly relaxed pace throughout. Higginbottom has said that he finds some of Britten's metronome markings on the fast side...yet they use their time well, finding a depth of colour and expression that yields its own rewards.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

“The Choir of New College, Oxford has a long association with this ever varied repertoire. They give fresh, confident readings – steered with firm authority by director Edward Higginbottom – of A Ceremony of Carols, Rejoice in the Lamb, Missa Brevis and shorter works. The Hymn to St Cecilia, to words of Auden, has particular joy and verve.” The Observer, 24th February 2013

“First CD releases of classic accounts of Britten part songs from Louis Halsey's Elizabethan Singers, plus a searing live recording of the Missa Brevis from 1960” BBC Music Magazine, October 2012 ****

“The pieces on this extremely enjoyable record roughly cover the first 20 years of Britten's maturity […]The Elizabethan Singers sing with lovely tone, splendid precision and unfailing comprehension. These are superb performances. Some of the quiet homophonic songs are splendidly done, for instance the haunting "Concord" in the Gloriana pieces, but the group is equally successful at conveying stress and excitement. The recording quality is outstandingly good. I do urge you to give this lovely record a trial.” Gramophone Magazine (Halsey)

“The little work is full of Britten's brilliant technical invention and imaginative insight both in the vocal and the organ parts, and is a most valuable addition to the small repertoire of really worth-while contemporary liturgical settings of the Ordinary of the Mass. […]Performance and recording are very good” Gramophone Magazine (Missa Brevis)

“Deft, precise and cleanly executed, these performances from The Sixteen's Britten choral series come up fresh as paint in this repackaging (A Boy was Born is the other main work).” BBC Music Magazine, December 2005 *****

“ A Ceremony of Carols sets nine medieval and 16th-century poems between the 'Hodie' of the plainsong Vespers. The sole accompanying instrument is a harp, but given the right acoustic, sensitive attention to the words and fine rhythmic control the piece has a remarkable richness and depth. The Westminster Cathedral Choir performs this work beautifully; diction is immaculate and the acoustic halo surrounding the voices gives a festive glow to the performance.
A fascinating Jubilate and A Hymn to theVirgin, while lacking the invention and subtlety of A Ceremony, intrigue with some particularly felicitous use of harmony and rhythm. Deus inadjutorum meum employs the choir without accompaniment and has an initial purity that gradually builds up in texture as the psalm (No 70) gathers momentum.
The Missa brevis was written for this very choir and George Malcolm's nurturing of a tonal brightness in the choir allowed Britten to use the voices in a more flexible and instrumental manner than usual. The effect is glorious. St Columba founded the monastery on the Scottish island of Iona and Britten's hymn sets his simple and forthright prayer with deceptive simplicity and directness. The choir sings beautifully and the recording is first rate.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“The singing of the Westminster boys here is particularly impressive, with perfect ensemble, the solo work amazingly mature, and a superb contribution from the solo harpist...an altogether outstanding collection, beautifully and atmospherically recorded in an ideal ambience.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“As with other recent records from St John's, there's a freshness, almost a feeling of adventure and a sense that all this choral discipline is an easy yoke. These are excellent performances, the opening item setting a standard which is to be maintained throughout. Buoyant rhythms, precise accentuations and well-pointed contrasts are features of the singing; and the playing of Ian Farrington in accompaniments that are often difficult and always demanding of maximum alertness, is outstanding. Outstanding, too, is the contribution of the trebles. In tone they preserve the traditional John's sound, without exaggerating its so-called continental element.
But what impresses most is the sense of imaginative involvement. It's there, for instance, in the Kyrie of the Missa brevis, and most of all in the 'I cannot grow' section of A Hymn to St Cecilia. To this they bring a distinctive excitement, a wideeyed, breathlessly playful feeling of childlike wonder. The programme itself is highly attractive.
The 'hymns' are fully developed compositions, and the canticles are notably independent of tradition (for instance, a quietly meditative note of praise is struck at the start of both Te Deums). The Missa brevis makes inventive use of its forces; and Rejoice in the Lamb, a masterly expression of the liberal spirit, never ceases to amaze with its evocation of the cat Jeoffry, valiant mouse and staff-struck poet. Recorded sound isn't as vivid as the performances, but this remains a very likeable disc.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“With Britten comes the thought of high voices: boys' voices that on this Naxos disc belong to the choir of St. John's College, Cambridge… the St. John's singers roundly capture the elusive tonal qualities of Britten's choral music, and the recording has a proper sense of space and locality.” BBC Music Magazine, June 2000

“Truro may be leagues away from Britten's Aldeburgh, but there's something in the Cornish air that connects its cathedral choristers to the spiritual substance of the East Anglian composer's choral music...the tonally rich blend of organ, choir and cathedral acoustics help lift this recording above the ordinary.” Classic FM Magazine, June 2011 ****

“The immediate impression with the Truro disc is the warmth of sound and generous acoustic...Under Christopher Gray...the cathedral choir has developed a particualrly rich and smooth sound, with a security of intonation which is magnificently exhibited in the unaccompanied items here, not least a top-notch performance of the Hymn to St Cecilia and a marvellous performance of The Sycamore Trees.” International Record Review, May 2011

“this mixed boy-girl French choir makes a vigorous, refreshing sound on its debut CD. The voices are full of enthusiastic stresses in the Britten, digging out his staccato Benedictus with robotic enthusiasm...Tuning is excellent throughout, soloists have characterful voices...[and] British organist William Whitehead never outplays the voices.” Classic FM Magazine, April 2011 ****

“The mixed-gender group of 21 singers recorded here is blessed with a fresh, clear, unaffected tone, blending effortlessly...These young French singers cope admirably with Leighton's English text...and manage to bring out all the dramatic nuances of the Britten, particularly in the striking Agnus Dei.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2011