Reviews
"Selah has published Craig Phillips's two fine Advent anthems commissioned by Michael Messina and Trinity Church, Indianapolis. Both have oboe obbligatos, both sustain the uncompromising excellence we have come to expect of Dr. Phillips, and both are glorious additions to the permanent repertory. At the same time, they are remarkably accessible, and choirs of average ability will both sound good and find them deeply rewarding." --Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians, October 1998

"Languid lines in the obbligato oboe evoke a 'longing to be comforted' in these two brief anthems on texts from Orthodox and monastic liturgies. Though the choral and organ parts do require some independence, they should seem quite natural. In the first, The Creator, the Wisdom of God, two 'moments' are indicative of the effectiveness of the interplay--the relief of finally arriving on a tonic chord in root position at the words 'fashion us anew' and spinning triplets passed around the choir at 'Adam dances' as if voices and organ are skipping arm-in-arm with delight. Recommended." --CrossAccent, Fall 1999

"Craig Phillips has crafted two attractive anthems for Advent that are bundled together under the title 'Two Advent Anthems.' The first ('The Creator, the Wisdom of God') uses a text 'from the Orthodox Liturgy' and the second ('Turn Toward Us, Lord') 'from the Monastic Liturgy.' Both of these are for solo oboe, mixed choir, and organ. The oboe part is well crafted and within the capabilities of a good high school oboist. The choral writing is interesting and not especially difficult; the accompaniment is well within the reach of all of us. I wish publishers (and, perhaps, composers) would not be so vague about text sources. I would like to know precisely where in the Orthodox and Monastic liturgies the texts occur, and who translated them. With that aside, these are good works for Advent. The second of the two is macaronic, with the last section in Latin, but with no translation." --AAM Journal, April 2000