The Exons are at their most exciting in exalted mode - the Sanctus from the Missa brevis is thrilling. Ave virgo sanctissima, too, is wonderful.

Music for piano and accordion may be the 'central nervous system' of his work but recent discs suggest Howard Skempton's chamber and vocal output is hardly less significant. This new disc gives an inclusive overview of his choral music and songs. The former ranges from the austerity of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, through the rhythmic repetition and harmonic accretion of Locuste iste and The Song ofSongs, to the subtle intricacy of Ostende nobisDomine and luminous ecstasy found in Yeats's He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven – a miniature masterpiece to be sure. The Missa brevis is a composite of these approaches – whether in the inward anxiousness of its Gloria, the surging ardour of its Sanctus or the plaintive supplication of its Agnus Dei. Highlights from among the songs include the formal yet fervent treatment of Burns in O Life!, methodical settings from Donne's versification of Lamentations, and the harmonic/melodic interplay of the Emerson Songs. Two organ pieces round out the programme, with the artless Recessional being an apt conclusion.
Music such as this is easy to kill with overstatement or dull with caution, neither of which is true of these performers: notably the mellifluous Bartholomew Lawrence in the Lamentations, and the Exon Singers, whose responsiveness is a tribute to Matthew Owens, whether as director or organist. The sound provides an ideal ambience and presentation is on a par with earlier Delphian issues, making for a release in which Skempton admirers and newcomers alike will find much to savour.

…the Exon Singers… responsiveness is a tribute to Matthew Owens whether as director or organist. The sound provides an ideal ambience and presentation is on a par with earlier Delphian issues, making for a release in which Skempton admirers and newcomers alike will find much to savour.