The Hymn of Jesus is unquestionably one of the greatest choral works ever composed and arguably Holst's finest work of any type. It does everything that music for chorus can do: there are passages for both full and semi-chorus with haunting wordless vocalization, whispering, humming, and unaccompanied polyphony. The music ranges from actual Gregorian chant to the space music that made The Planets the composer's most popular work. And it all takes only 20 minutes or so. The Cloud Messenger features many of the same elements, though developed on a larger scale. It's amazing that this major work had to wait until the 1990s for its first recording. This is it, and it's superb. --David Hurwitz