There is a great deal to be said for English performances of Die Schopfung (''The Creation'') being sung in English, and Christopher Bishop says most of it, extremely well, in an essay written to accompany the original release of this recording. So the uplifted eagle soars on mighty pens, rivers flow in serpent error, and in long dimension creeps with sinuous trace the worm: excellent. But of course it's all happening in King's College Chapel, where, as Wordsworth (who hated such poetic diction) remarked, music dwells, lingers and wanders on ''as loth to die''. Sir David Willcocks makes allowances accordingly, but in fact passages with quickly changing harmonies are sometimes obscured and final chords bounce back.
Throughout, the orchestral playing is admirable and the famous choir adapt themselves to music which is not of the sort for which they are famous. The soloists make it a point of honour to take as few breaths as possible: following with a score previously owned by a soprano soloist, I notice innumerable pencilled ticks for breath where Heather Harper continues with no trouble at all, and the men phrase with similar easy breadth. John Shirley-Quirk produces some real depth of tone when required, and though he hasn't quite the robust power for the opening of ''Rolling in foaming billows'' he sings the gentle D major section most beautifully. Robert Tear makes an interesting sound on one particular note, the sustained F natural on the word ''joy'' at the end of ''In native worth'': utterly—and exceptionally, so far as his singing here is concerned—firm and even in production. A matter of slight regret, perhaps, is that Raphael and Gabriel double up as Adam and Eve, which some of the recording's competitors manage to avoid. But then, strictly speaking, they are not competitors at all as they use the German text. If you prefer (as I certainly do) the English of the Bible, Milton and Vincent Novello, then this is the recording to have.'