This pioneering new recordinga showcase for the virtuoso talents of the Holst Singerspresents all fifteen of Villettes unaccompanied choral works and his two motets for choir and organ. Pierre Villette might best be regarded as a stylistic bridge between Debussy and Faur on the one hand and Poulenc and Messiaen on the other. A world rich in the familiarities of Gregorian chant infuses much of his choral output, while ambitious chromaticisms and textural gestures create effects which are at once spiritual and sensuous. This is the music of private prayer set in the context of an incense-filled Gothic ber-Cathedral. Under their long-standing director of music Stephen Layton, the Holst Singers have established themselves firmly at the top of the countrys league of chamber choirs. This new programme can only enhance their justly deserved reputation.