Alonso Lobo: Misas Prudentes Virgines; Beata Dei Genitrix
Regular price
$20.99
Unit price
per
A. LOBO Missa Prudentes virgines. Missa Beata Dei genitrix. GUERRERO Prudentes virgines. Beata Dei genitrix • Albert Recasens, dir; La Grande Chapelle • LAUDA 013 (61:08 Text and Translation)
The liberal use of El Greco reproductions in this digipack reflects the subtitle of the program, Works of [Lobo’s] First Book of Masses (1602) for the service of the cathedral of Toledo in the time of El Greco . Two Masses by Alonso Lobo (1555–1617) are parodies of motets by Francisco Guerrero, his teacher, as are three more of the six Masses published in 1602 (the sixth was based on a Palestrina motet). One of Lobo’s predecessors at the Toledo cathedral was Cristóbal de Morales. Lobo was at the Seville cathedral before he took this position, but returned to Seville in 1604, where he died. He was the only maestro to serve the two most prestigious cathedrals in Spain. Although Lobo’s life was not as eventful as most of his contemporaries, there is a 10-page essay on his life and works with this disc, leaving no stone unturned. It is a highly readable account.
The Mass for Virgin Saints, a first recording, is set for five voices, like its motet, while the Mass for the Blessed Virgin and its motet are set for six voices. The latter Mass was once recorded on Meridian but never arrived here. The music unfolds in the serene way that so much Renaissance polyphony does. Recasens, a director unknown to me but for the recordings on this label, maintains an easy mastery over his six singers. The voices blend more easily than some one-to-a-part vocal ensembles do. The lovely singing, the informative notes, the elegant artwork, and the digipack combine to make an irresistible package for this music. Strongly recommended.
FANFARE: J. F. Weber
Product Description:
-
Release Date: November 19, 2013
-
Catalog Number: LAU013
-
UPC: 8436009809894
-
Label: Lauda
-
Number of Discs: 1
Composer: Alonso Lobo, Francisco Guerrero
Conductor: Albert Recasens