‘The music is gratefully written for voices, expertly performed, and warmly recorded’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The national soundtrack for the past three decades … [Burgon] shows what can be done with some simple ideas and a top-flight cathedral choir’ (The Independent)

‘Strong performances from the Wells Cathedral girl choristers and lay clerks … I was soon persuaded that this recording is a welcome addition to the Burgon discography’ (Cathedral Music)

‘Geoffrey Burgon's music is beautifully crafted with a wealth of invention and on this Hyperion Records CD a treat awaits for those already familiar with his works as well as those new to his music … the Short Mass is marvellously realised by the Choir of Wells Cathedral and their performances throughout are excellent’ (Lifestyle Magazine)

‘Hyperion’s sound is terrific (does anyone record English choirs better than they?) and the production first class’ (Audiophile)

‘The girls and men of Wells Cathedral directed by Matthew Owens give a riveting performance enhanced by the playing of David Bednall and Alan Thomas … in the popular field Burgon presses all the right buttons without risk of compromise’ (Choir & Organ)

‘Hyperion's championing of British composers goes on unabated. With this first issue dedicated to Geoffrey Burgon's choral works, the catalogue has been enriched with a truly versatile contemporary voice … closer analysis reveals a wealth of invention and masterly command of the voice deeply rooted in the classical tradition … the Wells Cathedral Choir under Matthew Owens give compelling performances and the emotional and textural intensity of their singing does Burgon proud. As expected, sound and balance are of the very highest standards’ (Classical.net)

‘Musically, these performances are all that could be wished for in terms of technical accomplishment’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Arrangements of Liszt and a slow movement from a Mozart Piano Concerto are joined by his mammoth Fantasia Contrappentistica, the 32 minutes of which are dispatched with immense panache by Hamish Milne’ (Liverpool Daily Post)

‘Hamish Milne, of course, is no stranger to mammoth-sized pianism. He channels his big, colorful sonority toward line rather than mass, and balances the music's thick textures as if they were varied organ registrations … Milne emphasizes clarity through and through. He takes special care to articulate short, detached phrasings differently from longer legato lines and manages to evoke a wide tonal spectrum with little help from the sustain pedal’ (Audiophile Audition, USA)

‘Milne, who through his studies with Guido Agosti is a 'grand-pupil' of Busoni himself, tackles this repertoire with a full appreciation of the Classicism that lies behing its Romantic surface, and is especially effective at clarifying the fugal layers in the Fantasia and the Liszt’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘It takes a conductor's vision for the 'whole' to stand back from the work, and I invite those unfamiliar with its more inscrutable corners to immerse themselves in Milne's sincere and entirely intelligible account … Milne handles the work [Liszt] with courage and sensitivity, drawing much of substance from the long-breathed melodies while allowing the work's cathedral-like charisma to rise up, too … the customary glow and clarity to the Hyperion sound, allied with performances of weight and integrity, makes this an indispensable disc for Busoni lovers’ (International Record Review)