The reviews of Star of Heaven, the CD by The Sixteen featuring Dr Cooke's Ave Maria, mater Dei have been unanimously good, and the kind words about the work have been overwhelmingly positive.
Recent reviews have seen the BBC Music Magazine stating: ‘Phillip Cooke’s…Ave Maria, mater Dei is enticingly ethereal thanks to a pair of off-stage trebles intensifying its incantatory allure’ and The Gramophone affirming: ‘a particularly sumptuous setting by Phillip Cooke where two offstage sopranos swirl around a wonderfully atmospheric and transportive choral texture.’ This follows positive reviews in The Scotsman, The Guardian and two broadcasts on BBC Radio 3