Is The Mask of Time too much of its own time for its own good? How does the offspring of the period 1973–82 seem ten years on? The practical answer is—still well worth having in one's record collection, especially at medium price. The philosophical answer is that, while the work's problematic elements may well bulk larger with increasing familiarity, its originality and strength are also enhanced.
Tippett's vocal and dramatic works have often given great emphasis to ideas, even at the expense of character, and the absence of named individuals from the 'cast' of The Mask of Time draws even greater attention than usual to its idiosyncratic content. Fortunately, what might have turned into a self-indulgently 'laid-back' sermon on the scientific dilemmas and cultural discontents of the late twentieth century develops genuine depths, which place the lighter moments in appropriate relief. There is, in the end, a balance, a coherence, a sense of fulfilment, and it is the major achievement of this performance to do all these qualities justice.
The recording, too, is particularly successful at capturing complex textures in an exciting live performance: it remains one of the best products so far of the Andrew Davis/EMI partnership (and it took the 1987 Gramophone Contemporary Award).'