Published in the Leicester Mercury, 27th November 2007, Neil Crutchley

‘This recital of Sacred British Music was the first concert given by the Leicester University Chamber Choir, and it proved to be an impressive debut.

Conducted by Mark Batten, the talented organist of St. James the Greater, the choir consists of around thirty young singers who produced an appealingly smooth and bright sound. Mark knew what he wanted from the music and how to achieve it. His conducting was direct and unmannered with lots of eye contact and plenty of cues.

The highlight was an accomplished and compelling account of Britten’s masterly cantata, Rejoice in the Lamb. This piece presents a real challenge to any choir, but these singers had been meticulously rehearsed and coped admirably with the countless changes of tempo and dynamics. It was a vibrant and searching reading with able soloists and superb organ accompaniment from Nicholas Johnson.

The concert opened with SS Wesley’s festal anthem, Blessed Be the God and Father, which was given a strong, well-paced performance and Herbert Brewer’s extrovert setting of the Magnificat was stylishly done.

John Rutter’s organ duet, Variations on an Easter Theme played by Mark Batten and Nicholas Johnson, was enjoyably eclectic with a particularly attractive blues-inspired central section, and soprano Kat Hinkel excelled in a short piece by Barry Ferguson based on inspirational words by Mother Teresa and called It was in that train.’