Upheld by Stillness: Vol 1: Byrd review – Ora’s bold debut

This impressive disc marks the debut of the 18-voice chamber choir Ora. If you’re wondering why another such ensemble is needed, the very distinctive programme is the answer: around a fluent, sober account of Byrd’s great Mass for Five Voices, artistic director Suzi Digby has commissioned a set of new works each reflecting a movement of the mass, from Roxanna Panufnik, Francis Pott and others. The more literal references to Byrd are less successful than those where imagination takes flight, notably Owain Park’s Upheld By Stillness, a Kathleen Raine setting that gives the disc its title. In bold projects like this, the ever-reliable English choral tradition is renewed again.