God's composer : sacred music : music by Tomás Luis de Victoria

"Forget the unctuous title: this documentary ... strikes the right balance between words, images, and music ... We hear entire motets; and quite often, when the music starts, the presenter, the engaging Simon Russell Beale, steps aside. Victoria's life is reported in a measured way ... The performances are very succesful ... When Victoria is in a festive mood, the music and the surroundings are a near-perfect match".

"As one miraculous choral masterwork follow another, one can only sit amazed at such fertility of imagination and deep feeling. Such is this music's emotional power and intensity that one quite forgets one is listening to manuscripts from over 400 years ago ... Victoria was surely, as the title has it, 'God's Composer', so if you can stretch to only one DVD this month, this has to be it".