In the Heart of Things

"as a supreme choral polyphonist Pott can build up an agitated climax with the best of them - but it is those melting moments of repose which are especially telling and memorable...Grace Davidson floats effortlessly above the Oxford-based choir, adding her seraphic poise to their perfect intonation...this is a powerful disc of important music." (Gramophone Magazine, Feb 2012)

"The singing throughout, by both soloist and choir, is absolutely impeccable. This is a most beautiful disc of some absolutely he Month MusicWeb April 2012)

"[I Sing a Maiden is] a testing sing for the 31 voices of Matthew Berry's Commmotio, but there's a relaxed clarity in their performance bespeaking fine technique and excellent preparation." (BBC Music Magazine, Apr 2012 ****)

Composer and pianist Francis Pott is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. His dramatic and emotionally challenging music unites a distinctive personal voice with a versatile technique rooted in a keen awareness of the past. His Mass expands on tonal frames of reference from Byrd and Tallis, incorporating a poignant Agnus Dei written as a memorial to Dr Anabela Bravo. Mary's Carol and Lament are also tender commemorations, the latter for one of the quiet heroes of the Afghanistan conflict. These deeply expressive works give a distinctive modern voice to the timeless mysteries of human experience.

Francis Pott is new to Naxos, but has already established an international reputation through his choral and organ works - this new Mass for Eight Parts will be eagerly anticipated by his growing following.

"Matthew Berry's perfectly balanced ensemble has something that many choirs strive for but few achieve: the ability to sing quietly without losing pitch or tempo, most beautifully realised in Pott's Lament, written last year as a tribute to Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid...Commotio lapped up Pott's polyphonic Mass for Eight Parts, sailing through the tricky counterpoint of the Kyrie before savouring the thick textures of the Sanctus and its ecstatic, concluding Osanna." (The Guardian on the launch-concert for 'In the Heart of Things' on February 4th 2012)