Francis Pott: The Cloud of Unknowing – The Sunday Times

This work, written fort he excellent Vasari Singers’ 25th anniversary, deals with big things. Dedicated to Margaret Hassan “and all innocent lives lost in or beyond Iraq”, it is an extraordinary expression of Pott’s battle with ebbing faith, with a poignantly questioning setting of Psalm 23, written as a response to the Beslan tragedy, at its heart. Pott’s music is unapologetically conservative in style, but the tenacity and honesty with which he engages in self-debate is deeply moving, the humanistic interpretation of the Crucifixion as a symbol of the persistent suffering of Everyman tenable for people of all faiths and none. This performance is both passionate and precise, with magnificent contributions from Gilchrist and Filsell.

The Sunday Times