Byrd: Teach me, O Lord

“Undoubtedly the most impressive achievement here is Mundy's Vox Patris caelestis… the cohesion of the ensemble forces admiration, as indeed does the trebles' athleticism and stamina. I'd also single out Nicholas Trapp, the treble solo in Byrd's Teach me, O Lord, and the choir as a whole in the opening and closing numbers... As a showcase for English choral singing at its most charismatic, this deserves to be widely heard.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2008

“The brilliance of the programming matches that of the singing. By ranging lesser-known works, such as Mundy's, alongside familiar music such as William Byrd's anthems, we can appreciate how foreign and original were the new styles of church composition under Queen Elizabeth.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2009 *****

“Following the success in the Gramophone Awards of the Choir of New College, Oxford, this first–rate survey of old favourites suggests that collegiate institutions such as these continue to enjoy rude health, fears to the contrary notwithstanding.
Conceived as a memorial to two royal sisters buried in the Abbey, it includes some wonderfully strong singing from boy trebles. As ever, their tone conforms to the 'house style', clearer and brighter than that of Edward Higginbottom's but with no hint of shrillness.
Undoubtedly the most impressive achievement here is Mundy's Vox Patris caelestis, which looks a rather unwieldy, sprawling thing on paper (and sounds it in some performances); here it is convincing formally, and the cohesion of the ensemble forces admiration, as indeed does the trebles' athleticism and stamina. For this alone this disc warrants the strongest recommendation.
” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Oscillations between Catholicism and Protestantism required Tudor musical chameleons to provide either rich Latin polyphony or strictly metrical settings, according to prevailing diktat. This disc illustrates those opposing styles, notably placing Byrd's glorious Latin lament 'Ne irascaris, Domine' between subtly fashioned motets” The Guardian, 5th October 2008

“this anthology links the liturgies of Jewish and Christian traditions... The organ can sometimes hang too heavily over the pieces by Wesley and Parry. But the highlight is the beautiful version of Allegri's "Miserere mei, Deus", with its solo treble soaring high and weightless like the vaulting of a cathedral.” The Independent, 10th February 2012 ***

“Colin Walsh is clearly a wizard. Thank goodness it is all on record and can be repeated.” Organists Review

“None of these young voices is anything less than impressive, and several are quite distinguished” Gramophone Magazine

“the chief impression one is left with after hearing this disc is the excellence and polish of the choir ... this is a fine and very enjoyable disc. The performance standard is uniformly very high” MusicWeb International

"distinguished by its vitality of style and opulence of sound" Gramophone

“…a rare feeling for the balancing of parts, for rhythm and for the vitality of words.” Gramophone Magazine, May 2006