The OAE perform the work consistently around a semitone higher than modern pitch which, in the slightly dry acoustic, produces a clear, bright but somewhat empty sound. Also the pitch apparently throws some of the singers, since in 'Nigta sum' the tenor soloist completely misses his note a few bars in, and there is something slightly solid and cautious in the beautiful duet 'Duo Seraphim'. What is impressive is the grammatical sense (underpinned by flexible accentuation) that the choir brings to the projection of the words in Dixit Dominus and at many other places. Also, as we might expect, the instrumentalists are terrific, especially the magical violins in 'Deposuit potentes' from the Magnificat.