This is the first recording, and Dyson is lucky because it is outstanding. There are no comparisons to make, but can you imagine abetter tenor than Mark Padmore or a better bass than Neal Davies for this music? Do you know a chorus that would sing it better than the BBC Chorus? Is there a conductor who could make it more gripping than Mr Hickox does? No, it is quite wonderful… The Chandos sound is superb.
American Record Guide
It’s beautifully played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Richard Hickox, and the choral singing is particularly thrilling. The disc also includes a number of Dyson’s shorter pieces, most of them fairly slight, though the Three Songs of Praise – setting of English metaphysical poetry – are exquisite
The Guardian
Enthusiasts for this composer need not hesitate – performances and recordings are first-rate.
International Record Review
Hickox’s reading is direct and dramatic, though he also indulges the more impressionistic moods at the piece’s heart, while the BBC Symphony Chorus provides wholesome body to the narrative. Two coronation anthems, a triptych of hymns and a pastoral suite for chamber orchestra complete this worthwhile disc.
Telegraph
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