"The ode receives an orderly performance. I wish there were double the number of string-players: the sonority of only six violins is insufficiently grand for the overture's opening...The unaffected 19-strong choir outweighs the slimline orchestra at times....but kudos to Delphian for the intelligent choice of cover art reflecting Dryden's first stanza discussing the creation of the universe."

"I warm to the conductor’s big-boned, exhibitionist Handel style and the youthful-sounding vigour of the choir. The basses are wonderfully resonant...Mary Bevan’s bright, tangy soprano gets the lion’s share of the solos, especially radiant in “What passion cannot music raise and quell?” and “Oh, what art can teach"

"a blaze of glory…The instrumental roster includes some of the UK’s leading baroque specialists and the results are every bit as elegant as one might expect in support of a responsive chorus and a pair of outstanding soloists...conveying Dryden’s text as though their lives depended on it."

"Orchestrally and chorally, it has tremendous buoyancy. Solos for flute, organ and cello are artfully phrased, while soprano Mary Bevan and tenor Ed Lyon add zest to Handel's high-arching settings of Dryden's verse."

"Ludus Baroque acquits itself admirably...with instrumental exponents stylishly playing, whether in a group or in single contributions. The choral side produces fresh sounds...Bevan and Lyon serve the music laudably. She has a clean, limpid tone, which sits well in Handel's arias, smooth but not pale, shining but not glaring...Among [Lyon's] positive points are his natural singing and enunciation, his clean articulation of rapid notes and a pleasing tone."

"Radiant soprano Mary Bevan is in glorious form in "What passion cannot music raise and quell?", while the chorus is outstanding throughout, singing with beautiful diction and a light, springy edge. And exciting Ed Lyon confirms his place as one of Britain's top baroque tenors"

"Every ingredient here fuses in harmony: Handel’s marvellous tunes, the young performers, John Dryden’s crisply effective words, the friendly acoustics of Edinburgh’s Canongate Kirk. Memorable music, delivered without frills: that’s all you really need."