The eagerly awaited Sculthorpe Requiem brings a further jewel to a wide audience, his first major choral work fascinatingly showing how his unique idiom translates into a traditional mould. Carl Crossin's Adelaide Chamber Singers clearly understand the idiom and love the music, to which their full, fresh tone and blend are ideally suited. The second disc contains orchestral works and new arrangements... The Adelaide So turns in performances brimful of power and beauty and the recorded sound is first-class. An essential release from one of the world's greatest living composers.

Sculthorpe’s extraordinary use of colour, texture and rhythm, enriched by the imitation of natural sounds and Australian indigenous music has resulted in a language that is both highly accessible and thoroughly individual…this Requiem is all about displacements….a remarkably placid if troubled setting of the Dies Irae is followed by a ravishing Canticle in the form of a setting of an Aboriginal lullaby, itself followed by an extended cadenza for didgeridoo, brilliantly performed by William Barton…the Requiem is another remarkably original work from Sculthorpe that will only confirm his status as arguably the finest composer Australia has ever produced…This is a superlative release from ABC Classics.