"If you are looking for something different for Christmas, you can rely on the Delphian label to come up trumps. The company consistently fosters the growth of emerging composers ... Nesbit has successfully achieved a distinctive sound with his chosen texts, which include excerpts from the Tilethatchers Play, the York cycle of Mystery Plays, and three Christmas poems by the Welsh metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan. The score for mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists, SATB choir, horn, and harp is particularly effective. They combine beautifully, especially when Benedict Nelson’s baritone is accompanied by a haunting harp and horn. Mezzo Angharad Lyddon is equally lovely, especially in the lullaby, as she portrays Mary with underlying men's voice in an atmospheric section. Nesbit’s compositional skill is innovative and original; it is certainly pleasing and melodic. A particularly delightful section of Nativity is Peace?and to all the world? the horn's rhythmic accompaniment is hypnotic ... Joseph Fort’s young choir is impressive, with polished performances that capture the different moods superbly; the control and balance are perfect, and there are moments of beauty in the a cappella work. The second evocative Wycliffe Carol, In to Plain Ways, is a case in point. Sensitive and vivid. An enjoyable disc, well recorded, offering something different but effective in the use of instrumentation for the Christmas period. I would not be surprised if a few choirs program the work in time for Christmas 2025"

"The album’s title-piece is intriguingly scored for soloists, chorus, harp and horn and starts with a vigour that propels much of the piece, often in Britten-esque vein (and there can’t be much higher praise for music of this sort), the faster movements nestling between recitatives and gentle lullabies. The Choir of King’s College London are in good voice, ably supported by Anneke Hodnett (harp) and Martin Owen (horn). The other items take medieval texts and clothe them in a contemporary choral language that I find very rewarding, whether the Wycliffe Carols or the Four Christmas Lyrics, of which the rollocking “Abowt the fyld thei pyped full right” is the standout"