‘This is a showroom demonstration of just what boy and girl choristers singing together can achieve. A truly magnificent birthday present’ (Gramophone)

‘This recording is a testimony to John Tavener’s long association with the choir of Winchester Cathedral, who perform a selection of pieces from throughout the composer’s career with unerring accuracy and sublime musicality. A bonus is the personal dimension achieved by the inclusion of a booklet note by the choir’s former director, Martin Neary’ (Gramophone)

‘Excellent performances by Andrew Lumsden's forces, an atmospheric recording, with a fine sense of perspective in the Cathedral acoustic, and helpful notes by Martin Neary, a former Winchester organist and a friend of the composer, together make this a highly recommendable single-disc survey of Tavener's church music’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The recorded sound effectively captures not just the Winchester ambience but the timeless beauty of Tavener's music’ (BBC Record Review)

‘A marvellously worthwhile anthology, and a recording that should be in everyone’s collection. Andrew Lumsden’s singers are deserving of the highest approbation. Interpretatively inspirational and technically brilliant’ (Cathedral Music)» More

‘The Winchester team is an experienced one and they do this music proud. I should also recognize the idiomatic and appropriate organ playing of George Castle. The excellent booklet notes are by Martin Neary, who was himself at one time organist and director of music at Winchester, and whose understanding of Tavener’s music was commended by the composer. The cathedral is vast, but the engineers have secured good sound. Full texts are included. Even if you already have discs of Tavener’s choral music you should consider this’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘Under Lumsden’s inspired direction, the singing amplifies the certainties of Tavener’s faith, his unshakable belief speaking volumes (almost literally) in the arresting organ entry of God is with us, with a text adapted for Christmas Eve from the Orthodox Great Compline. Its emotional impact from boys and men is totally convincing, as is the authoritative singing of William Kendall … a great job also from engineer Andrew Mellor who has harnessed the Cathedral’s acoustic to enhance the music’s simultaneous momentum and stillness, chords floating around untethered and timeless, an intensity truly mesmerising … the dancing rhythms of ‘O Mary Theotokos’ bring a final demonstration of this Choir’s empathy with a composer who has immeasurably enriched Winchester Cathedral’s spiritual life’ (Classical Source)» More

„Hyperion Records, für seine akustisch exzellenten Aufnahmen zu Recht berühmt, übertrifft sich hier gleichsam noch einmal selbst … natürlich darf auf einer Tavener-CD, die «Angels» heißt, sein wohl bekanntestes Lied «Song for Athene» nicht fehlen … und das … sogar Steine zum Weinen bringen kann“ (Chorzeit, Germany)» More