BBC Music Magazine, 1992
The Vasari Singers run a swift and sure course through this whistlestop tour of Britten’s vast choral output. The Ceremony of Carols, although written for treble voices, enjoys pureness of tone and rhythmic incisiveness from the ladies of the chorus, although here, as in the rest of the CD, it is difficult to hear the words. Margaret Crossland handles the solo ‘That yongë child’ with commendable sensitivity. For the ladies, the recording quality falls just short of being excellent. It lacks breadth and transparency, a fault that is put right when the rest of the choir joins in for the Hymn to St Cecilia and Sacred and Profane.
These are sprightly and well-directed performances, but by the
time we get to the last item on the disc, the a cappella voices are starting to
sound a bit too delicate and whimsical. So the comparatively robust nature of
Rejoice in the Lamb introduces a welcome note of extravagance. Here there is a
substantial part for organ and the recording engineers can be justly proud of a
fine balance. The packaging is rather stingy. It seems a false economy not to
include the texts; nor are we told anything about the Vasari Singers. The
timings of the bands have got hopelessly muddled, and the organist is not
credited.
Christopher Lambton
Gramophone, 1992
Jeremy Backhouse’s firm, clear direction pays handsome dividends
and the
flawless ensemble and perfect tonal blend he achieves from his singers results in a fine
account of Rejoice in the Lamb. Particularly impressive is the extraordinarily
compelling effect achieved through some outstanding dynamic control. This new release
distinguishes itself with a first-rate performance of the little-heard late (1974) work
Sacred and Profane.
Marc Rochester Gramophone