Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (Incls 'Glagolitic Mass')

"I'm hard put to it to think of a choral work that is as physically exciting as this one. In its way it's as elemental as Le Sacre du Printemps. Can Gardner and his predominantly Norwegian forces do justice to it? The orchestra Introduction promises much: the sound of the brass is vivid while the strings and woodwind are agile and eager; the orchestral playing as a whole is very incisive, which is a key attribute needed in such music as this. When the choir enter in the Kyrie - for ease of reference I will use Latin and English in this review - they make a fine initial impression. I was also pleased to find that they're well positioned in the aural image: too often one hears choral/orchestral recordings or broadcasts where the choir is balanced unfavourably vis-à-vis the orchestra but that's not usually a feature of Chandos recordings and it's not the case here either. The American soprano, Sara Jakubiak is very communicative in her singing and there's no trace of Slavic wobble. It's a very fine, exciting performance and Chandos have captured it in thrilling sound." (MusicWeb March 2016)

"Gardner steers the clash of brass, strings, chorus and soloists with confidence, the instrumental outer movements ablaze with excitement, the whole well balanced but still dangerous and invigorating." (The Guardian)