[Nico Muhly] receives masterful treatment here . . . Muhly can be a precious and facile composer, a showoff. His program notes, like the film scores, demonstrate that side of him. But Muhly also has a delicate touch, and when the sweet sounds of ethereal early music singing meets post-Minimalist rhythmic rapture, the music floats in its own special space. Walt Disney Concert Hall, where the recording sessions took place, adds a deluxe ambiance, while the organ, brass, percussion and a string quartet, variously employed by Muhly, function as a kind of sonic illumination. A young composer begging attention couldn't ask for anything more.

[Muhly] is one of the most gifted composers of his generation. Here, he demonstrates command of the choral idiom in beautifully wrought works . . . The performances by the Los Angeles Master Chorale under music director Grant Gershon are cohesive, clear and wondrous.