Andrew Parrott and his Taverner Choir & Players turn to music of their namesake alongside works by his contemporaneous King Henry VIII, an exceptionally musical...

Andrew Parrott and his Taverner Choir & Players turn to music of their namesake alongside works by his contemporaneous King Henry VIII, an exceptionally musical monarch, and two composers of the previous generation, William Cornysh and Hugh Ashton. With Taverner’s Western Wind mass as its corner-stone, this recording takes its lead from the unashamedly secular character of that work and ventures beyond the chapel door to explore the parallel world of courtly vernacular song and instrumental music.

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REVIEW:

Andrew Parrott’s past recordings of Taverner count among his finest achievements, and time has not dulled his affinity for the music of his ensemble’s namesake. For this recital, he turns his attention to the secular music of Taverner’s contemporaries, interspersed among the movements of the Renaissance composer's Western Wynde Mass.

From a discographic standpoint, the instrumental numbers are very valuable, and dispatched with real flair. Finally, the sound recording successively juggles a wide range of distributions, from harpsichord to choir, with no apparent discontinuity.

– Gramophone