Nicholas Roberts wrote:

>It is not certain that the order which Britten intended is that published
>and also Britten nearly abandonned the work claiming it to be too
>difficult.

Having just performed some of the movements, I agree. It is fiendishly
difficult.

>My choir enjoyed performing it immensely and the European audiences we
>performed to appreciated the work.

It has a shining moment or two, but I found that it is a work of youthful
excess in which the end result isn't rewarding enough to justify the amount
of painstaking work that it takes to get right. I will keep Rosa Mystica in
our active repertoire and bag the rest. This is something ideed for me to say
as I regard Britten as my very favorite composer and have, until now, never
found a note that I didn't love!

Kevin Sutton
Artistic Director
The Helios Ensemble
Dallas, TX