''The Rodolfus Choir consists of young people who have attended one or more of the Eton Choral Courses. Many are choral scholars, some are still at school.'' Reading that before listening to this disc may conjure up preconceptions which will be immediately shattered by the stunning display of unison singing in the opening ''Introit''; first the men, then the women and finally both float through Grier's quasi-Medieval chant with each phrase, syllable and every tiny inflexion perfectly blended. There's not a hint of inexperience or immaturity here and it's quickly apparent that this is choral singing of rare excellence. They produce a gloriously swirling wash of sound in a magical ''Motet'' while there is tremendous vitality in a wonderfully buoyant ''Carol''. Perhaps their relative lack of experience accounts for a total willingness to submit to Ralph Allwood's exemplary direction; they follow his every nuance with complete conviction. Solo voices, both sung and spoken (for Grier's Sequence includes three Biblical readings) are drawn from the ranks of the choir and are, without exception, splendid, while the recording, made in the somewhat unusual setting of Leominster Priory, Herefordshire, has pleasing warmth and atmosphere.
Grier's intention was to produce a sequence of choral items, organ solos and readings within the framework of a service but with the ''unity of a single composer's work''. His style is so eclectic, ranging from Taverner to Tavener (although his recent sojourn in India has borne no tangible fruit in this work) that any stylistic unity seems purely superficial. Never mind, this is an unspeakably beautiful work given a truly memorable performance.'