the jutting vocal fanfares of [Weir's] Ave Regina caelorum set a brightly celebratory atmosphere at the disc's beginning...The seven-part writing of Hannah Kendall's numinous Regina caeli is lucidly balanced out by the singers...Of the other works the glowing Magnificat of 15th-century composer John Nesbitt is particularly notable, bringing gleaming work from the sopranos in particular.

[a] fascinating and finely executed collection of anthems and motets…The 35-strong mixed voice choir possess perfect intonation and blend…this is not a disc to be missed.

The Delphian engineers capture superbly this excellent choir in its home chapel and one of the main delights of the programme is precisely the engaging mix of early and contemporary music.

Benjamin Nicholas and Peter Phillips have done a marvellous job in training these young singers to such a consistently high standard...As for the sound, it seems to me that engineer Paul Baxter definitely has the measure of the wonderful acoustic of the Merton chapel and this recording is beyond reproach.

this arresting sequence is of old and new representations of the Virgin. Judith Weir’s vigorous, beautifully fresh Ave Regina caelorum is the first of four such Marian antiphons commissioned from women, the others being Kerry Andrew, Hannah Kendall and Dobrinka Tabakova, the results all striking.

Delphian scores yet another choral hit with this exceptional and fascinating collection themed around musical representations of the Virgin Mary. And once again, Merton College Choir is the immaculate vehicle for performances that encompass the old and the new.