Among the glories of 19th- and 20th-century Anglican liturgical music are settings of the canticles, especially the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis. One of the best is Wesley in E. Published in 1844, it is laid out for soloists and eight-part choir, the texture varying between hymn-like homophony, vigorous counterpoint and unison passages. Andrew Nethsingha directs splendidly, the performance as broad and grand as one could wish.

On an even grander scale is the 14-minute anthem Ascribe unto the Lord. A choral recitative leads to a ‘verse’ section in waltz time, which is followed by the chromatic ‘As for the gods of the heathen’, sung here with an appropriate ferocity. Wesley’s little joke – giving ‘neither speak they through their throat’ to the altos – comes off nicely. The tuneful final section, ‘The Lord hath been mindful of us’, caps a first-rate performance.

Less successful, on two counts, is The Wilderness. Wesley’s setting of ‘And sorrow and sighing’ is sentimental and the exposed writing underlines the problem of assigning solos (as distinct from ensembles) to young choral scholars. Heavy operatic voices would be wrong; perhaps the answer is to engage former members of the choir with some years’ experience. I would gladly trade the dull O give thanks for the missing Cast me not away. But I don’t want to end on a negative note: this is a disc to uplift the spirits.