'The supporting performers are well chosen. Abraham and lsaac opens with Johnson and countertenor Christopher Ainslie, judiciously placed by the technicians, making a hauntingly other-worldly effect as the voice of God. Benedict Nelson blends well with the two of them in Canticle IV. The recording keeps James Baillieu's tellingly characterised accompaniments to the fore, as it does solo horn and harp, both excellent. Recordings with Peter Pears remain the benchmark, as ever.  … this new release from Signum Classics is a contender well worth hearing' (Gramophone)

'One of the more interesting of the tide of Britten centenary tributes, The Canticles features the five vocal settings composed at various points between 1947 and 1974, in which the ostensible religious themes disguise more secular interests—the barely veiled homoeroticism of Francis Quarles' seventeenth-century adoration of Christ in 'Canticle I', the allegorical linking of Blitz and Crucifixion in the Edith Sitwell powem used for 'Canticle III' etc. Set to piano parts occasionally reflecting the influence of the French Romantics, the most intriguing realisations are those on which tenor Ben Johnson is joined by other voices—with baritone and countertenor as the three Magi in 'Canticle IV', and most sublimely, paired with countertenor for the Abraham and Isaac story of 'Canticle II'' (The Independent)

'There's nothing precious or pained about Ben Johnson's tenor in his admirable recording of the five Canticles. The tone is sturdy, open and direct' (The Times)