Britten: A Hymn to the Virgin

“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

“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

“Musically impeccable, carefully wound and tuned, superbly balanced—a magnificent display of sheer beauty of choral sound” American Record Guide

“Polyphony’s brand of singing, clean as a whistle, rhythmically wonderfully alive, impeccably tuned and voiced, polished yet always fervent, is justly renowned, and on this disc it serves Britten’s a capella choral music extremely well” BBC Music Magazine

“After hearing their latest CD of choral works by Britten, nothing will dissuade me from the conclusion that Polyphony under Stephen Layton is the best chamber choir in the country” Evening Standard

“The programme is delightful and the choir excellent… this has to be one of the strongest winners of the choral award in recent years” Gramophone Magazine

“Another Oxbridge college, another fine mixed-voice choir, another gorgeously captured chapel acoustic (Mike Hatch engineering) - this selection of favourite pieces by mainly British composers makes a pleasingly intimate impression.” BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2012 ****

“the choral singing is superb...I really enjoyed this record and looked forward to playing it often. The excellence of the singing coupled with the aptness of the selection make this collection special.” MusicWeb International, November 2012

“a disc of mainstream Christmas music...which showcases the combined forces of the college's chapel choir, with its top line of boys, and the mixed-voice college choir. It's a performance of full, rich sounds from a group who are among the unsung heroes of a collegiate choir circuit currently dominated by the larger colleges.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2012

“This is an attractive and very well-planned disc of music from Advent to Epiphany … The sound is unobtrusively excellent and the booklet includes complete sung texts. If the programme appeals (as it certainly does me), then my advice is to let yourself be tempted” International Record Review, December 2012

“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)

“Magdalen College's recital makes an attractive alternative to the annual broadcast from King's...Director Bill Ives has a good ear for contrasts” The Independent on Sunday, 20th December 2009

“ 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