Confident skill BASIL RAMSEY listens to a choral composer at work Priory    PRCD 770

Son of Sir David, Jonathan Willcocks has gained recognition as a composer, particularly with choral music. Here are four works, all commissioned by choirs, two American and the other British, pointing to success in this crowded field of demand and supply.

Willcocks' music is in the mainstream rather than a plunge into uncharted waters. These settings point to the confident skill with which he pitches choir and orchestra in partnership; and the manner in which he clothes his word-setting with colour. My reservation -- as with all like-minded music -- is the absence of innovation, a precious ingredient which penetrates and irradiates listeners. We know when this happens and mostly accept it in the joy of an experience.