Sunday Telegraph, March 2007

‘Concert-goers tired of bumping up against Bach Passions everywhere this Easter will have welcomed the City of London Choir’s latest outing at St. John’s, Smith Square: making a different sort of seasonal nod, the centrepiece of its concert was Arthur Bliss’s rarely heard Pastoral: ‘Lie Strewn the White Flocks’.  Evoking gentle rites of spring, this work for chorus, mezzo, solo flute and orchestra is one of those pieces more often mentioned in musical histories than performed today, but well worth reviving… and the conductor Hilary Davan Wetton unlocked its elusive beauty. The choir sang with well-blended tone throughout, most memorably in ‘The Naiads’ Music’, where the women's voices had gossamer lightness. Heather Shipp brought plenty of colour to her languid solo. Set in the context of Holst’s Two Psalms and a moving performance of Duruflé’s Requiem, this was another of the City of London Choir's enterprising programmes.’

The Guardian, December 2007

‘A carol concert with bells on, this annual appearance [at the Queen Elizabeth Hall] by the City of London Choir – one of the country’s leading amateur outfits – does away with stiff British reserve.’

The Independent, October 2006

reviewing a concert given by the choir during the inaugural English Music Festival in Dorchester Abbey

‘The orchestra was joined by the excellent City of London Choir… Jeremy Irons provided a well-paced and nuanced narration for Vaughan Williams’s rarely performed An Oxford Elegy… The orchestra, chorus and narrator all caught the melancholic mood of the piece, which, for all its sadness and resignation, ends on a note of hope and defiance. This work of aching beauty should be performed more often…. The concert was beautifully performed.  The choir and orchestra excelled under the adroit direction of Davan Wetton. Together, they were able to demonstrate what great English musical treasures have been allowed to gather dust, and to show what a great shame it is that they have been allowed to do so.’

Sunday Telegraph, April 2006

of the choir’s performance of Janácek’s Otce nás

‘[Janácek’s] 1901 setting in Czech of the Lord’s Prayer – something approaching a tone poem for solo singer, chorus, organ and harp – is another work close to Czech hearts, given a rare and welcome airing by the City of London choir at St. John’s, Smith Square. Section by section, from the dream-like wonder of “Thy kingdom come” to the hearty pastoralism of “Give us this day our daily bread”, this mosaic-like score came across with flow and propulsion thanks to the sympathetic conducting of Hilary Davan Wetton. The choral singing was richly detailed, and softly floated textures contrasted effectively with episodes of full-voiced power.’

and of Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine and Requiem:

‘Pleasure is exactly what this performance generated.’

The Guardian, November 2006

reviewing a performance of Haydn’s Mass in Time of War and Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem

‘The CLC, one of the capital’s leading amateur choirs, isn’t quite accustomed to venues as big as the Barbican; but if there were times in the Haydn when it seemed to need more heft, there was always something in reserve to surprise us with when it really mattered. And the choir’s handling of the Vaughan Williams, the difficult chromatic lines tackled with secure intonation and clear, confident articulation, was an achievement of which it can be proud.’

The Times, March 2003

‘This performance of the St. John Passion certainly stood out, with the City of London Choir confirming its reputation as a leader among non-professional choruses. 

Next season sees the choir’s fortieth anniversary, but few of its members would have been born when the group was founded: the choir sings with fresh vitality. Under the baton of its music director, Hilary Davan Wetton, the opening chorus rolled out majestically, yet there was also a lightness of attack essential in this music. Though the choir is hardly small, it can sing with soft control. There was a strong sense of performance pleasure here, making for musical results a far cry from those rooted in maudlin routine.

Such a lively, responsive chorus is well suited to this work, characterised as it is by dramatic interventions. The restrained drama of the rush to Golgotha, where the chorus joins the bass soloist, was superbly managed. And the consoling final chorus was sung with expressive warmth.’

Early Music Today, June/July 2003

‘….an attractive, fresh tone…’