 Eric Roseberry, writing in "Tempo" magazine, found the music "simple and memorably tuneful throughout ... the writing for strings, recorders and percussion is a miracle of inspiration".Andrew Porter in "Opera" magazine also found the music touched "by high inspiration"; the evening was "an unforgettable experience ... extraordinarily beautiful, vivid and charming, and often deeply moving".The design and production, Porter reported, were "brilliant", while Mackerras commanded his disparate forces masterfully.