Complete recorded collections of Bruckner’s motets are not as common as one might expect. For a start they require a full-bodied (though highly flexible) choir, capable of switching in an instant from the majestic to a hushed intimacy, as well as a large acoustic, a quartet of trombones and a powerful organ. Blessed with the longest nave of any English cathedral, St Albans copes easily with Bruckner’s frequent pauses and demanding wide dynamic range. Andrew Lucas’s three dozen singers are on impressive form, combining tonal beauty with sheer stamina.

Ecce sacerdos (1885) makes a solid and arresting opening track, with the trebles – topping a seven-part texture – soaring effortlessly up to their high B flats, ably supported by the brass and organ. For Bruckner this marks the extent of any hint of theatricality in his writing. There are two settings of Tantum ergo, both early works from the mid-1840s, and are typical of Bruckner’s a cappella style; subtle yet supple. The best known of his unaccompanied motets, Locus iste (1869), flows beautifully and serenely. Vexilla regis makes an austere contrast, with some memorably resonant singing from the second basses; darker still is Inveni David. Here, the trombone quartet packs a mighty punch.

Philip Salmon’s tenor solo in Tota pulchra es is a special treat. Equally arresting is the contribution of baritone William Houghton in the five-part setting of Salvum fac populum tuum. The disc concludes with Christus factus est in the later 1884 unaccompanied setting. Here Bruckner luxuriates stylistically following his exposure to Parsifal, the St Albans choristers fervent in their exultations. Dewi Rees contributes a pair of welcome organ solos: the workmanlike Postlude in D minor (1846) and the Prelude and Fugue in C minor (1847). The careful ordering of works, taking into account the succession of keys, scoring and moods, contributes to a deeply satisfying recital. My only small quibble would be about the lack of Germanic Latin pronunciation.

Over the past 40 years, two Hyperion discs have set the standard in this repertory: those by the Corydon Singers under Matthew Best and by Polyphony under Stephen Layton. This splendid new release will take some supplanting.