For the Choir of Merton College, Oxford’s first collaboration with Britten Sinfonia, Benjamin Nicholas has brought together a collection of sacred works from the first half of the twentieth century. A little-known fact is that these stalwarts of the English repertory were either originally intended to be heard with orchestra, or subsequently orchestrated by their composer or a close colleague. Written for enthronements, coronations and the nation’s grandest choral festivals, these national ‘standards’ are here brought back to life in Delphian’s largest recording to-date, their orchestral accompaniments affording them the richness, pomp and majesty associated with that epoch.

Reviews

One for fans of English choral music, but not as you expect to hear it: Orchestral Anthems (Delphian) combines the beautifully drilled Choir of Merton College, Oxford and soloists, with Britten Sinfonia, nuanced and stylish, conducted by Benjamin Nicholas. ... The Anglican choral favourite, Finzi’s Lo, the full, final sacrifice, orchestrated for the 1947 Three Choirs festival and full of subtle woodwind detail, stands out. Dyson’s Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis are notably rousing. Fiona Maddocks

The Observer 18 June 2023

... you can’t deny the fervour of the Choir of Merton College, Oxford and their director Benjamin Nichols, or the extra splendour radiating from the musicians of Britten Sinfonia. As long as the recording lasted, all was right with the world.

The Times