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Vivaldi - Music For The Chapel Of The Pietá /Chandler, La Serenissima
Avie Records · Feb 2005CD$19.99 -
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- Rubbra: Rosa Mundi, Op. 2
- Rubbra: Cradle Song, Op. 8 No. 1
- Rubbra: Nod
- Rubbra: Orpheus with his Lute, Op. 8 No. 2
- Rubbra: Who is Silvia? Op. 8 No. 3
- Rubbra: Out in the dark, Op. 13 No. 1
- Rubbra: It was a lover, Op. 13 No. 3
- Rubbra: The Night, Op. 14
- Rubbra: Rune of Hospitality
- Rubbra: A Duan of Barra
- Rubbra: A Widow Bird Sate Mourning, Op. 28
- Rubbra: A Prayer
- Rubbra: Songs (2), Op. 22
- Rubbra: In Dark Weather, Op. 33
- Rubbra: Invocation to Spring, Op. 17 No. 2
- Rubbra: Two Sonnets by William Alabaster
- Rubbra: Songs (2), Op. 4
- Rubbra: A Hymn to the Virgin, Op. 13 No. 2
- Rubbra: The Jade Mountain, Op. 116
- Rubbra: Nocturne, Op. 54
- Rubbra: Salve, Regina, Op. 119
- Rubbra: No Swan So Fine, Op. 91
- Rubbra: Fly Envious Time, Op. 148
- Rubbra: Psalms (3), Op. 61
- Rubbra: Dear Liza, Op. 7
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Rubbra: The Jade Mountain / Crowe, Barnett-Jones, Farnsworth, Finch, Ridout, Burnside
Chandos · Mar 2023CD$21.99 -
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More Divine Than Human - Music From Eton Choirbook / Choir Of Christ Church Oxford
Avie Records · Jun 2009CD$19.99
Maria, Dolce Maria
Brilliant Classics
CD
$6.99
$13.99
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Nov 01, 2019
'What touches and appeals to me most in the music of Monteverdi is the ultimate symbiosis between music and text,' says the Dutch soprano Wendy Roobol. 'He unites the two in such a way that the outcome is more than the sum of the parts. As a result, his music has enormous sincerity, richness and drama.' As a central member of the vocal consort Le nuove musiche directed by Krijn Koetsveld, the harpsichordist on this album, Wendy Roobol has performed the complete madrigals of Monteverdi in critically acclaimed recordings for Brilliant Classics. Her first solo album draws on that expertise to present a unique programme of Marian hymns from around Europe. The great names of the Italian school are naturally represented, opening with the title-song by Francesca Caccini (talented daughter of Giulio Caccini) and reaching a fitting climax with Salve, O Regina by Monteverdi and the Lament of the Madonna from his Selva morale e spirituale collection. In between those unchallenged masterpieces of the late Renaissance, Wendy Roobol ventures across Europe, first to Switzerland, for a sensuous Ave Maria by Johann Melchior Gletle, then to mid-Germany for a Magnificat by Philipp Friedrich Boddecker. These marvellous but little-known pieces have been recorded before, but not in their originally intended format of solo soprano with consort accompaniment, and these performances are graced by intense sensitivity and a spirit of intimacy that captures the devotional atmosphere of a Marian chapel. Giovanni Felice Sances is another little-known composer represented here, but whose 1636 Stabat mater is touched by rich and affective dissonance. It makes a fine complement to the plainer declamation of the Sancta mater by the German-Italian lutenist Girolamo Kapsberger.
ARVO PART: ESSENTIAL CHORAL WORKS
HARMONIA MUNDI
CD
$30.99
Oct 27, 2023
The grandeur of simplicity Paul Hillier possesses a special rapport with the Estonian composer Arvo Part, with whom he has worked for many years, patiently exploring the different facets of his music. This boxed set assembles this major recording legacy (1996-2012) in it's entirety for the first time. It represents a significant milestone in our understanding of Part's unique musical universe, characterised by a purity and inwardness inherited from the great tradition of Gregorian chant. A pioneer of 'historically informed' performance, Philippe Herreweghe recorded a extensive selection of Bach's finest cantatas with harmonia mundi - versions now regarded as milestones in the works' discography. This boxed set provides an opportunity to rediscover that legacy in it's entirety: twenty years (1987-2007) in the service of one of the Kantor's richest and most indispensable bodies of work.
Binchois, Dufay, Dunstable, Power: Lux Laetitiae / La Reverdie
Arcana
CD
$20.99
May 13, 2022
With Lux laetitiae, La Reverdie continues its discographical journey after the success of its most recent production devoted to Francesco Landini: from the Florence of the great blind composer of the fourteenth century, to the splendor of the Este court in fifteenth-century Ferrara! The program presents twelve pieces from an important codex that belonged to the court, in which fashionable composers such as Guillaume Dufay and John Dunstaple tried their hand at the motet genre. The performances combine six voices with a rich array of instruments and aim to reproduce the resplendent sound of the Este cappella at the time of Lionello and Borso, passionate patrons who attracted to Ferrara many talented artists charged with adorning the court with art, beauty and harmony. An exploration of the prolific tradition of the Marian cult which, from the twelfth century onwards, was manifested in an extraordinary wealth of musical forms and which, in the fifteenth century, resulted in grandiose compositions that can still captivate us today with their complexity and fascination.
REVIEWS:
[The] music presented here is neither dry nor academic. It’s drawn from a 15th-century codex that belonged to the Este court in Ferrara, which contains motets by an odd assortment of four composers: the Franco-Flemish masters Gilles Binchois and Guillaume Dufay, and the English composers Leonel Power and John Dunstaple; all four are important figures of the early Renaissance period. You’ll hear hints of ars nova in Dufay’s setting of Flos forum, and Power’s soft but powerful Salve Regina misericordie slowly builds a mesmerizing melody line and then adds harmony as the work progresses, to quietly spectacular effect. As always, the La Reverdie ensemble imbue everything they perform with a golden light. Highly recommended to all collections.
-- The CD Hotlist
Vivaldi - Music For The Chapel Of The Pietá /Chandler, La Serenissima
Avie Records
CD
$19.99
Feb 01, 2005
R E V I E W S:
"This follow-up to La Serenissima’s anthology ‘Vivaldi in Arcadia’, is particularly interesting for the Concertos RV212 and RV554a, which have been reconstructed by Adrian Chandler. The former is a violin concerto, composed in 1712 for a festival in Padua and played by Vivaldi himself. A set of parts surviving in Dresden was damaged; the booklet note remarks, seemingly without irony, that this was ‘whilst in safe-keeping’ during the Second World War. Chandler has added the harmony here and there, and selected one of the three slow movements and two cadenzas. The result is a delight... In Laudate pueri Dominum, Mhairi Lawson sings with great passion, wonderfully responsive to the meaning of the words. In the surprisingly meditative Gloria, her vibrant soprano and Chandler’s violin sigh like lovers.The Salve regina is just as good...
Chandler’s direction is as gripping as his playing. As ever, one is lost in admiration at the skills of the girls who sang and played at the Ospedale della Pietà, to whom this is a noble tribute."
- Richard Lawrence, GRAMOPHONE
"The mastermind behind this terrific CD, Adrian Chandler, is not only Director of La Serenissima and a violinist of flair and distinction; he is also a meticulous scholar, as his excellent booklet notes reveal. He has clearly engaged in much fruitful research in preparing for this recording, even carrying out imaginative reconstruction where necessary.
The result is a rich musical treat. All of this music was written by the ‘Red Priest’ for use in the Chapel of the Pietá, the Convent School for orphans (or ‘foundlings’) in Venice. The music on the generously filled disc consists of three instrumental concerti and two solo vocal cantatas, Laudate Pueri and Salve Regina. These are sung by the Scottish soprano Mhairi Lawson, who turns in thoroughly delightful performances... This, and all the other instrumental music, is realised superbly by the players of La Serenissima, the enlarged chamber ensemble named after the city of its inspiration; the name being, of course, a poetic soubriquet for Venice itself. The string sound is pure and bold, yet capable of great subtlety when required. They are underpinned by a continuo section of great richness: the harpsichord of Joseph McHardy, the theorbo (bass lute) of Richard Sweeney, and the organ playing of Robert Howarth.
Despite the scholarship, there is nothing ‘academic’ about the performance of this music. Indeed, it is exuberant and often full of élan and humour."
- Gwyn Parry-Jones, MusicWeb International
"This follow-up to La Serenissima’s anthology ‘Vivaldi in Arcadia’, is particularly interesting for the Concertos RV212 and RV554a, which have been reconstructed by Adrian Chandler. The former is a violin concerto, composed in 1712 for a festival in Padua and played by Vivaldi himself. A set of parts surviving in Dresden was damaged; the booklet note remarks, seemingly without irony, that this was ‘whilst in safe-keeping’ during the Second World War. Chandler has added the harmony here and there, and selected one of the three slow movements and two cadenzas. The result is a delight... In Laudate pueri Dominum, Mhairi Lawson sings with great passion, wonderfully responsive to the meaning of the words. In the surprisingly meditative Gloria, her vibrant soprano and Chandler’s violin sigh like lovers.The Salve regina is just as good...
Chandler’s direction is as gripping as his playing. As ever, one is lost in admiration at the skills of the girls who sang and played at the Ospedale della Pietà, to whom this is a noble tribute."
- Richard Lawrence, GRAMOPHONE
"The mastermind behind this terrific CD, Adrian Chandler, is not only Director of La Serenissima and a violinist of flair and distinction; he is also a meticulous scholar, as his excellent booklet notes reveal. He has clearly engaged in much fruitful research in preparing for this recording, even carrying out imaginative reconstruction where necessary.
The result is a rich musical treat. All of this music was written by the ‘Red Priest’ for use in the Chapel of the Pietá, the Convent School for orphans (or ‘foundlings’) in Venice. The music on the generously filled disc consists of three instrumental concerti and two solo vocal cantatas, Laudate Pueri and Salve Regina. These are sung by the Scottish soprano Mhairi Lawson, who turns in thoroughly delightful performances... This, and all the other instrumental music, is realised superbly by the players of La Serenissima, the enlarged chamber ensemble named after the city of its inspiration; the name being, of course, a poetic soubriquet for Venice itself. The string sound is pure and bold, yet capable of great subtlety when required. They are underpinned by a continuo section of great richness: the harpsichord of Joseph McHardy, the theorbo (bass lute) of Richard Sweeney, and the organ playing of Robert Howarth.
Despite the scholarship, there is nothing ‘academic’ about the performance of this music. Indeed, it is exuberant and often full of élan and humour."
- Gwyn Parry-Jones, MusicWeb International
MILLE AFFETTI
ERATO
CD
$18.36
Dec 27, 2024
In his exploration of the vocal music of Mozart and his contemporaries, soprano Bruno de Sa evokes Mille affetti - a thousand emotions - and adds six world premiere recordings to the catalogue: arias by Luigi Cherubini, Luigi Caruso, Felice Alessandrini, Franz Seydelmann, Johann Friedrich Reichardt, and Niccolo` Antonio Zingarelli. Joining him for this adventurous programme of sacred and secular repertoire are the Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra, organist Marcin Szelest, the NFM Choir and conductor Jaroslaw Thiel. For his debut Erato album, Roma Travestita, Bruno de Sa focused on Baroque repertoire, causing BBC Music Magazine to marvel at his "immaculate legato, gift for scintillating decoration, dramatic octave drops and stratospheric ascents above the stave." Now he applies those talents to the Classical era. "This seemed like the moment to explore different musical possibilities," he says, "and also a period that really speaks to me - emotionally, musically and technically. There are some very virtuosic things here, but I've never struggled with them because they are such a joy to sing. I hope that people feel and hear that." Repertoire features: W.A. Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate, Franz Seydelmann: excerpts from Il Turco in Italia, Johann Friedrich Reichardt: excerpts from Andromeda, Niccolo Antonio Zingarelli: Salve, Regina, and more (repertoire selection by Yannis Francois).
Tomas Luis De Victoria - God's Composer
Coro
DVD
$20.99
Feb 27, 2012
VICTORIA Sancta Maria succurre miseris. Salve Regina. Super flumina Babylonis. Seniores populi. Vidi speciosam. Q quam gloriosum. Misericordiae Domini. Lux aeterna. Congratulamini mihi. Kyrie • Harry Christophers, dir; The Sixteen • CORO CORDVD 6 (DVD: 60:00)
This hour-long program was produced for BBC together with Spanish and German television to mark the anniversary of the composer’s death. The singing was filmed in the Church of San Antonio de los Alemanes in Madrid, a lavishly ornate Baroque church built by Philip III soon after coming to the throne and before Tomás Luis de Victoria’s death. Simon Russell Beale narrates the life of the composer and Harry Christophers has some comments to add. The video format allows the integration of music, painting (El Greco), architecture, and spirituality into one presentation. St. Teresa of Avila was also born in Victoria’s home town, where he knew her as a boy. She reformed the Carmelite order along with St. John of the Cross, and both contributed immensely to the spirit of the times by their writings in mystical theology. We also see the chapel of the Carmelite convent where Victoria spent the last 25 years of his life as chaplain to the dowager empress Maria, Philip II’s sister, and the chapel of El Escorial, the palace that Philip II built outside Madrid.
The music is a sampling of Victoria’s output, including excerpts from his two masterpieces, the Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae and the Officium Defunctorum . Christophers argues that Victoria is the greatest composer of the Renaissance, a claim that has been made for Palestrina and Lassus, but one that has led him to a fervent interpretation of the composer’s music on six CDs (including the Tenebrae Responsories on Virgin). There are several video features added to the main program. Sometimes the music seems subsidiary to the unfolding story, but the whole is greater than its parts. This disc is a worthy tribute to mark the quatercentenary of a great composer.
FANFARE: J. F. Weber
NTSC, Region 0, 16:9 (Widescreen), Color, English w/ Spanish Sub (Stereo), Not Rated, Run Time: 60 min.
TIMOR MORTIS
EVIDENCE CLASSICS
CD
$20.17
May 31, 2024
This program focuses on the Missa pro defunctis by the composer Charles d'Argentil. Recorded for the first time here, it is one of only a dozen musical settings of the liturgy of the dead written before 1550 to have survived to this day. Little-known today, Charles d'Argentil, who worked in the prestigious Papal Chapel in Rome, was a key figure in the French Renaissance, as well as in the establishment of musical settings of the Requiem for papal ceremonies. His setting sits alongside the three Lamentations du samedi saint by Claudin de Sermisy, composer to the French royal chapel under Francois I, and Jehan Barra's Salve Regina. The Gilles Binchois ensemble here sheds light on an all-too-often overlooked part of musical history, through the generation that directly followed Josquin des Pres. The art of these three composers bears witness to the high level of mastery attained by that productive and talented generation.
Durante: Requiem in G Minor / Centemeri, Astrarium Consort
Brilliant Classics
CD
$13.99
Apr 03, 2020
The second of three settings that can firmly be attributed to Durante, the G minor Requiem is dated 27 November 1738, by which time the composer was established as a senior figure in the vibrant and fast-moving culture of 18th-century Naples. Durante was a contemporary of Nicolo Porpora and Leonardo Leo, whose Salve Regina settings have been newly recorded on another recent Brilliant Classics album (96092) but they were better known as operatic composers; Durante’s fame and reputation rested then and now on his music for the church, which is noble without ponderousness, moving without sentimentality, elegant without triviality. Compared with other Neapolitans, Durante was not prolific; he strove instead, within the conventions of his age, to strike a popular tone with intimations of the sublime, and he did so by using startling dissonances, expressive use of dynamics, diminished chords and chromaticism. The G minor Requiem demonstrates all these features. It is scored for two four-part choirs, strings and two hunting horns used exclusively in the ‘Tuba mirum’. Even a casual glance at the score shows why Durante was greatly sought after as a counterpoint teacher and also why composers as different in as Pergolesi and Paisiello can be numbered among his pupils. Previous recordings have used large choirs, but performing the Requiem with small forces highlights the madrigalian qualities of Durante’s style, with an emphasis on solo rather than choral lines, as well as achieving much tighter ensemble and more precise intonation. Several of the soloists on this album also featured on the previous Brilliant Classics recording by the Astrarium Consort with their founder/director Carlo Centemeri, of motets by Giovanni Paolo Colonna (94647). ‘Soprano Francesca Cassinari has a particularly appealing sound (for me). Her clear, pure voice serves the music well… The Astrarium Consort has a good ensemble sound.’ (wtju.fm)
Monteverdi: Frammenti / Koetsveld, Le Nuove Musiche
Brilliant Classics
CD
$6.99
$13.99
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Sep 22, 2023
On this album, we find a wonderful collection of often short sacred works by Monteverdi, all published in compilations made by others. Parts of psalms and hymns of all descriptions make up the texts – and always in the style that we know so well from, among others, the concertos in the Vespro della Beata Vergine; the pieces from the Selva Morale e Spirituale (a collection by Monteverdi himself, containing only his own music); and the posthumous collection from 1650, Messa a quattro voci ed salmi.
The repertoire on this album derives from multiple sources and was probably included in the various collections because the compiler simply liked it. Besides the polyphonic, madrigal-like pieces such as Adoramus te, Christe adoramus te and Domine in furore, the often highly virtuosic duets and solo pieces stand out. Sometimes, for example in Salve o regina, the embellishments are written out, which in turn teaches us a lot about how Monteverdi envisioned them.
Rubbra: The Jade Mountain / Crowe, Barnett-Jones, Farnsworth, Finch, Ridout, Burnside
Chandos
CD
$21.99
Mar 17, 2023
Whilst the English composer Edmund Rubbra is best known for his symphonic output, he composed a good deal of vocal music, and wrote songs throughout his compositional life. Rubbra studied with Cyril Scott and Gustav Holst, and was a great friend of his contemporary Gerald Finzi. The songs are notable for their variation in accompaniment (less than half are set for piano, the rest for harp, string quartet, string orchestra, or full orchestra). This album contains all his published songs with piano and harp accompaniment, and includes the first and last songs of the composer’s output. Lucy Crowe, Claire Barnett-Jones, and Marcus Farnsworth are the three singers on the album, Catrin Finch (harp) and Iain Burnside (piano) the accompanists. Timothy Ridout (viola) joins for the Two Sonnets by William Alabaster, Op. 87.
CONTENTS:
REVIEW:
Soprano Lucy Crowe and baritone Marcus Farnsworth sing with tonal beauty, clear diction, and great sensitivity for the music and text. Pianist Iain Burnside is a marvelous collaborator, as are harpist Catrin Finch and violist Timothy Ridout. The booklet includes complete song texts and superb liner notes by Jonathan Clinch. [Rubbra] his songs are the product of a thoughtful and sensitive composer, and well worth exploration.
-- Fanfare
Fasolo: Masses & Hymns
Brilliant Classics
CD
$12.99
$16.99
Save 25%
Apr 18, 2025
Majesty, solemnity and brilliance: Volume 3 of a series dedicated to the works of Giovanni Battista Fasolo (1598-1664), a little-known friar and composer for the church from southern Italy. Individual pieces by Fasolo have featured on a few compilations of sacred music from 17th-century Italy, but until now there has been no comprehensive survey of this overlooked but significant figure. Made at the cathedral of Verona in August 2024, this new 3CD set of his organ masses is the most substantial set of his work ever issued. All the music here was published in 1645, but composed at least a decade earlier, from Fasolo's period of service to various ducal chapels in Naples and Rome. The three Mass settings follow the orthodox form of 'organ masses': each line of the text is sung in Gregorian chant, alternating with new and original instrumental elaborations of those lines on the organ. Thus the weight of musical 'content' falls heavily on the organ part, performed here with both exuberance and sensitivity by Federico del Sordo. The 51 verses composed by Fasolo for this trio of organ Masses cover a spectrum of musical styles. They show how much Fasolo wished to break out of the idioms he had inherited from Renaissance composers such as Frescobaldi, and extend the syntax into Baroque territory. The Masses are complemented on each disc by Fasolo's settings of motets and ancient hymns for the church such as the Te Deum and Pange lingua, all organised according to the same alternatim practice. Alberto Turco and Federico del Sordo have won praise for two previous collections of Fasolo's music on Brilliant Classics. Of their collection of Magnificats and a Salve Regina (95512), the critic in Fanfare wrote: 'The keyboard playing by Federico del Sordo is capable and always lively... I like the brilliant registrations chosen for the organ, which give it considerable resonance. A fine disc, and one that should show that Fasola was no slouch when exercising his craft.' - Giovanni Battista Fasolo (1598-1680) was born in Asti (Italy) and spent his life as a Franciscan Friar in Rome, Naples and finally as Maestro di Cappella at the Cathedral of Monreale, Sicily. He is mainly known for his "Annuale", the largest compendium of organ music for liturgical use written in the 17th century. - Fasolo'sworks exemplify the intricate and expressive qualities of sacred music during the era. Fasolo's contributions to liturgical music, particularly his masses and hymns, reveal his mastery in fusing traditional polyphony with the emerging Baroque idioms. - Fasolo's masses stand out for their balance of solemnity and melodic grace, tailored for the sacred context. Utilizing the contrapuntal style inherited from the Renaissance, he infused these works with a sense of spiritual depth while embracing the clarity and harmonic richness characteristic of the early Baroque. His masses often feature clear textual declamation, ensuring liturgical accessibility. - His hymns similarly demonstrate an affinity for melodic inventiveness and expressive nuance. Fasolo crafted these pieces with attention to the liturgical calendar, providing a musical foundation for communal worship. These compositions are marked by their lyrical beauty and ability to evoke devotion, often employing alternation between chant-like simplicity and more elaborate polyphonic textures. - Performed by the Nova Schola Gregoriana of Verona, conducted by Alberto Turco, and Federico Del Sordo, playing the historic Antegnati organ of the Verona Cathedral. Both musicians have already successfully recorded works by Fasolo, Merulo and Salvatore for Brilliant Classics.
Lobo: Sacred Vocal Music
Brilliant Classics
CD
$6.99
$13.99
Save 50%
Feb 01, 2019
On this new recording, Coro Victoria offers a portrait of Alonso Lobo (1555-1617) through a cross-section of his sacred output (his works in Spanish are all lost). The group also illustrates the variety of interpretative practices of the period. The concluding O quam suavis est Domine is sung by a single soprano while the vihuela accompaniment supplies the remaining five parts. Church choirs sang this music in the liturgy, but minstrels also played it during processions, and there was free traffic between sacred and secular contexts. Coro Victoria was founded by it's director, Ana Fernández-Vega, to recover and preserve a native, historically informed tradition of singing Spanish polyphony from it's Renaissance-era high noon, exemplified not only by Victoria himself but also his contemporaries such as the Seville-born and bred Alonso Lobo (indeed, Victoria considered Lobo his equal). He is now best known for a haunting, six-voice setting of the Requiem, and his magnificent motet for the obsequies of King Philip II, Versa est in luctum shares the Requiem's tone of mourning and remembrance, established by a dense mesh of overlapping counterpoint. Coro Victoria also presents other sides to a composer whose style is far more various than is commonly assumed. As well as the beautifully handled techniques of canon and counterpoint in Marian motets such as Ave Maria and Ave Regina coelorum, distinguishing features of Lobo's style are his jagged melodic lines, a far cry from Palestrina's smooth curves, and his more animated conclusions, both vividly demonstrated by Vivo ego, dicit Dominus. There is also a complete, portmanteau setting of the Mass, drawn from his Missa O Rex gloriae, Missa Petre ego pro te rogavi and Missa Simile est regnum caelorum, with the Credo filled in by the separate Credo Romano, which is underpinned by a figured bass and continued to be popular long after his death. These polished performances should renew wider interest in Lobo's music.
EARLY ENGLISH POLYPHONY ETON CHOIRBOOK
WARNER CLASSICS
CD
$18.99
Dec 10, 2021
This double album includes two recordings never published before: Robert Hacomplaynt's Marian Antiphon: Salve Regina, and Robert Fayrfax's Magnificat 'Regale', both from the Eton Choirbook. The other recordings in the album include works from the Early English Polyphony era, by composers John Taverner, Christopher Tye, Thomas Morley and last but not least Thomas Tallis
Palestrina, Vol. 3 / The Sixteen
Coro
CD
$20.99
Jan 28, 2013
A towering figure in Renaissance polyphony, Palestrina is arguably one of the greatest composers of Liturgical music of all time. Harry Christophers and The Sixteen continue their exploration of his work with a disc of music for the Easter period. Many of the works on this new recording celebrate the joyful part of Easter - the Resurrection - and the central mass on this disc is the wonderfully inspired Missa Regina caeli. The Mass is based on the well-known, immediately recognisable, plainchant Antiphon Regina caeli and the recording also includes the 8-voice motet of the same name. As with volumes 1 and 2 this disc also includes three of Palestrina's settings of the Song of Songs alongside three offertories for the Easter period and the hymn Ad caenam agni providi. This disc would not be complete, however, without the exquisite 8-voice Stabat Mater - possibly Palestrina's most famous piece in current times and a work that emphasises the other side of the Easter story - the agony and pain of the Crucifixion.
Martinu, Reznícek & Fiala: Sacred Works
ArcoDiva
CD
$18.99
Nov 10, 2017
This new recording features spiritual compositions of Czech artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries performed by the internationally renowned Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno. Bohuslav Martinu’s “The Mountain of Three Lights” and “Hymn to St. James” have been rarely recorded, and are therefore of special notice on this release. World premiere recordings by Petr Reznicek and Petr Fiala are also featured- “Dies irae,” and “Regina coeli laetare,” respectively. "After all my experience at home and abroad, after many concerts in various parts of the world I can say with full responsibility and conviction that at present the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno is clearly the best choir in the Czech Republic and one of the best choirs in Europe. Your presence at first-class stages and podiums, top-class festivals and prestigious concerts, cooperation with the best orchestras and conductors proves your quality. I am proud of the fact that this choir is at home in Brno." (Petr Altrichter – ex-chief conductor, Brno Philharmonic)
A Handel Celebration / Christophers, The Sixteen
Coro
DVD
$20.99
Jun 01, 2010
HANDEL Coronation Anthems . Organ Concerto, op. 4/4. Salve Regina 1. Semele 1 : Endless Pleasure, Endless Love; My Racking Thoughts; O Ecstasy of Happiness! … Myself I Shall Adore. Solomon: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba • Harry Christophers, cond; The Sixteen Ch and O (period instruments); 1 Carolyn Sampson (sop) • CORO 16083 (DVD: 120:00) Live, London 8/12/2009
This BBC Proms concert, titled A Handel Celebration , commemorates the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death and the 30th anniversary of the founding of The Sixteen, which got its name from the fact that the original chorus had 16 members. The forces used here are a bit larger than those Harry Christophers usually employs. The mixed-voice chorus numbers 30, and the orchestra is listed at 42 members, although it does not appear that they are all onstage at the same time.
The Sixteen has been one of the best period-instrument groups since its founding, and one can see and hear here that both chorus and orchestra remain at the top of their form. Christophers leads performances that are respectful of Handel’s scores, with well-chosen tempos. The orchestra plays with precision (with the occasional slightly sour note to be expected of a live performance), and the chorus projects the words of the four Coronation Anthems vividly. Carolyn Sampson is outstanding in the Salve Regina and the three excerpts from Semele . In the Semele selections, she more than sings the notes; she uses her body and face to create the character she is portraying.
I have stated before that I do not see much use for a DVD preserving a concert because of the limited variety of visual images available in such a setting. Sampson’s portrayal of Semele does, however, provide some justification for seeing as well as hearing her performance, especially in the case of “Myself I Shall Adore.” Christophers hands Sampson a mirror before she begins the aria, and she uses it in giving an engaging performance that draws laughter from the audience, followed by a well-deserved ovation.
The version of the organ concerto featured here is the original version. Although Handel’s organ concertos were written to be performed between the acts of his oratorios, in the first performances in London of Athalia , the concerto was written to be performed before the final (“Hallelujah”) chorus and integrated into it. That is the version we get here, with the chorus.
The DVD has a short interview with Christophers during the intermission of the concert and a slightly longer one as a bonus feature. For some unknown reason, one of the anthems and the Salve Regina are removed from their places in the concert and put into the bonus features section. The anthem My Heart Is Indicting originally concluded the first half of the concert, and Christophers refers to it in his intermission interview, a reference that is puzzling unless one knows that he had just performed the anthem. The Salve Regina was originally the second item in the second part of the concert. Their placement as bonus tracks is nonsensical. The only other bonus feature is written biographies of the principals.
Christophers has recorded most of this material on CD, all available on Coro. His Coronation Anthems is one of my two preferred versions. The organ concerto and the sinfonia from Solomon can be found as additional tracks on that CD. The Salve Regina and selections from Semele are not otherwise available from these forces.
For those who enjoy concert performances, this DVD is an easy recommendation. For the rest of us, the previously unrecorded selections, especially Sampson’s items from Semele , make this a tempting purchase.
FANFARE: Ron Salemi
EARLY ENGLISH POLYPHONY ETON CHOIRBOOK
WARNER CLASSICS
CD
$18.56
Dec 10, 2021
This double album includes two recordings never published before: Robert Hacomplaynt's Marian Antiphon: Salve Regina, and Robert Fayrfax's Magnificat 'Regale', both from the Eton Choirbook. The other recordings in the album include works from the Early English Polyphony era, by composers John Taverner, Christopher Tye, Thomas Morley and last but not least Thomas Tallis
Suddeutsche Orgelmeister / Kelemen
Oehms Classics
CD
$37.99
Mar 02, 2018
The term "South German" in keyboard music refers geographically to the southern part of the German-speaking region, also containing parts of Austria and Switzerland – and even eastern European regions of Poland, Bohemia and Transylvania. The composers featured on this six-album release include Kerll, Muffat, Pachelbel, and Hassler, as well as selections from the Buxheimer Orgelbuch. Joseph Kelemen has been an active church musician in the South German region since 1986. He is passionately dedicated to historical performance practice and is considered in the specialist world as the authority for German organ music of the 17th century and the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He studied at the Franz Liszt Music University, and then emigrated to Switzerland where he studied at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basle. He now resides in Germany. His previous releases have won him several awards, including the French Diapason d’or.
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DETAILED TRACKLIST:
CD 1
Johann Caspar Kerll (1627–1693)
[01] Toccata prima . . . . . . . 03:24
[02] Canzone prima . . . . . . . 02:09
[03] Toccata ottava . . . . . . . 03:34
[04] Ciaccona . . . . . . . 02:22
[05] Canzone sesta . . . . . . . 02:37
[06] Toccata quarta Cromatica con durezze, e ligature . . . . . . . 04:41
[07] Capriccio sopra’ il cucu . . . . . . . 02:24
[08] Canzone quarta . . . . . . . 01:55
[09] Toccata quinta . . . . . . . 03:14
[10] Canzone terza . . . . . . . 03:11
[11] Toccata sesta per il pedale . . . . . . . 02:48
[12] Ricercata . . . . . . . 03:07
[13] Canzone seconda . . . . . . . 02:29
[14] Toccata terza . . . . . . . 04:33
[15] Canzone quinta . . . . . . . 02:26
[16] Toccata settima . . . . . . . 03:08
[17] Battaglia . . . . . . . 04:59
[18] Toccata seconda . . . . . . . 03:27
[19] Passacaglia . . . . . . . 06:12
total 64:12
Egedacher Orgel (1708)
Prämonstratenserstift Schlägl (A)
CD 2
Georg Muffat (1653–1704)
[01] Toccata prima . . . . . . . 06:00
[02] Toccata secunda . . . . . . . 05:57
[03] Toccata tertia . . . . . . . 05:49
[04] Toccata quarta . . . . . . . 07:11
[05] Toccata quinta . . . . . . . 05:57
[06] Toccata sexta . . . . . . . 09:22
[07] Toccata septima . . . . . . . 09:51
[08] Toccata octava . . . . . . . 06:32
[09] Toccata nona . . . . . . . 06:56
total 64:29
CD 3
Georg Muffat (1653–1704)
[01] Toccata decima . . . . . . . 06:00
[02] Toccata undecima . . . . . . . 06:39
[03] Toccata Toccata duodecima
et ultima . . . . . . . 07:25
[04] Ciacona . . . . . . . 06:18
[05] Passacaglia . . . . . . . 13:49
[06] Nova Cyclopeias Harmonica . . . . . . . 11:57
total 52:40
Freundt-Orgel 1642 Stiftskirche Klosterneuburg (A)
CD 2: [01], [03], [05], [06], [08]
CD 3: [03], [04], [06]
L’orgue Silbermann 1732 d’Ebersmunster (F)
CD 2: [02], [04], [07], [09]
CD 3: [01], [02], [05]
CD 4
Johann Pachelbel (1653 –1706)
[01] Praeludium d Minor . . . . . . . 05:34
[02] Wir glauben all an einen Gott . . . . . . . 04:04
[03] Ciacona f Minor (transponiert nach d-Moll) . . . . . . . 07:03
[04]–[9] Magnificat octavi toni . . . . . . . 05:26
[10] Ricercar C Major . . . . . . . 03:45
[11] Toccata C Major . . . . . . . 02:09
[12] Ricercar c Minor . . . . . . . 05:42
[13] Fuga d Minor . . . . . . . 03:02
[14] Toccata c Minor . . . . . . . 02:59
[15] Fuga C Major . . . . . . . :22
[16]–[25] Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan . . . . . . . 02:22
[26] Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn . . . . . . . 03:46
[27] Nun lob mein Seel den Herren . . . . . . . 02:13
[28] Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her (transoponiert nach C-Dur) . . . . . . . 01:22
[28]–[35] Aria tertia . . . . . . . 07:01
[36] Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns den Gotteszorn wandt . . . . . . . 03:04
[37] Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern . . . . . . . 02:49
[38] Toccata C major . . . . . . . 01 : 49
total 75:08
[01]–[10] / [26]–[38] Stertzing-Orgel 1702, St. Petri, Erfurt-Büßleben (D)
[11]–[25] Crapp-Orgel 1722, Klosterkirche, Pappenheim (D)
CD 5
Buxheimer Orgelbuch (ca. 1460)
[01] Glockenläuten, Glocke St. Andreaskirche Ostönnen, gegossen am 24. Juni 1306 . . . . . . . 00:44
[02] Redeuntes in idem (231) . . . . . . . . 03:35
[03] Wolhin laß vögelin sorgen (14) . . . 01:40
[04] Portigaler (43). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:42
[05] Vil lieber Zit uff diser Erde (51) . . . 02:20
[06] Kyriel(eyson) Angelicum – Christeleyson – Ultimum Kyriel(eyson) (153–155) . 01:43
[07] Praembulum Super C (232a) . . . . . 01:52
[08] Praembulum Super Mi (233a) . . . . 01:37
[09] Redeuntes in mi (232d) . . . . . . . . . 02:09
[10] Allegalea (185) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:07
[11] Praembulum Super D (232c) . . . . . 02:17
[12] Gaudeamus (omnes in Domino) (35). . . . . . . . . 04:41
[13] Ellend du hast umbfangen mich (48) . . . . . . . . . . . 03:42
[14] Sequitur adhuc semel Ellend und Jamer (49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:28
[15] Redeuntes in idem (231) . . . . . . . 03:23
[16] Ein fröuwlin edel von natueren (19) . . . . . . . 03:10
[17] Veni virgo (76) . . . . . . . 01:54
[18] Salve Radix Josophanie (250) . . . . . . . 01:19
[19] Se la phase pale (255) . . . . . . . 02:06
[20] Redeuntes in d (232b) . . . . . . . 02:02
[21] Descendi in ortum meum (161) . . . . . . . :32
[22] Rorate celi desuper et nubes pl(uant iustum) (36) . . . . . . . 03:45
[23] Jeloy mors (18) . . . . . . . :18
[24] Redeuntes in La (234) . . . . . . . 01:09
[25] Anna vasanna (92) . . . . . . . 02:35
[26] Kyrieleyson de S(ancta) Maria V(irgine) – Christeleyson – Kyrieleyson Ultimum (150) . . . . . . . 02:23
[27] Ave Regina (258) . . . . . . . 02:57
total 64:12
Anonymus-Orgel ca. 1425, St. Andreaskirche, Soest-Ostönnen (D)
Ebert-Orgel 1558, Hofkirche Innsbruck (A)
CD 6
Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612)
[01] Introitus IV. toni. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14:20
[02] Canzon in C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:15
[03] Kein grösser frewdt. a. 8. voc: (transponiert nach g-Moll). . . . . . . . 04:14
Orgelmesse
[04] Kyrie Apostolorum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:07
[05] Kyrie Secondo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:44
[06] Christe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01:31
[07] Kyrie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:42
[08] Et in terra pax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:18
[09] Domine Deus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:25
[10] Cum Sancto Spiritu. . . . . . . . . . . . . 04:41
[11] Ach Gott von Himel sieh darein. . . 03:38
[12] Credo in unum Deum. . . . . . . . . . . 04:13
[13] Introitus in d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:07
[14] Ricercar in e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06:39
[15] Canzon in C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:27
[16] Ach weh der schweren pein. . . . . . . 03:09
[17] 2. Theil: Und weicht von mir gar ferr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:46
[18] Ricercar del secondo tono. . . . . . . . . 10:30
total 79:51
[01]–[12] Freundt-Orgel 1642 Stiftskirche Klosterneuburg (A)
[13]–[18] Günzer-Orgel 1609 St. Martin, Gabelbach (D)
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DETAILED TRACKLIST:
CD 1
Johann Caspar Kerll (1627–1693)
[01] Toccata prima . . . . . . . 03:24
[02] Canzone prima . . . . . . . 02:09
[03] Toccata ottava . . . . . . . 03:34
[04] Ciaccona . . . . . . . 02:22
[05] Canzone sesta . . . . . . . 02:37
[06] Toccata quarta Cromatica con durezze, e ligature . . . . . . . 04:41
[07] Capriccio sopra’ il cucu . . . . . . . 02:24
[08] Canzone quarta . . . . . . . 01:55
[09] Toccata quinta . . . . . . . 03:14
[10] Canzone terza . . . . . . . 03:11
[11] Toccata sesta per il pedale . . . . . . . 02:48
[12] Ricercata . . . . . . . 03:07
[13] Canzone seconda . . . . . . . 02:29
[14] Toccata terza . . . . . . . 04:33
[15] Canzone quinta . . . . . . . 02:26
[16] Toccata settima . . . . . . . 03:08
[17] Battaglia . . . . . . . 04:59
[18] Toccata seconda . . . . . . . 03:27
[19] Passacaglia . . . . . . . 06:12
total 64:12
Egedacher Orgel (1708)
Prämonstratenserstift Schlägl (A)
CD 2
Georg Muffat (1653–1704)
[01] Toccata prima . . . . . . . 06:00
[02] Toccata secunda . . . . . . . 05:57
[03] Toccata tertia . . . . . . . 05:49
[04] Toccata quarta . . . . . . . 07:11
[05] Toccata quinta . . . . . . . 05:57
[06] Toccata sexta . . . . . . . 09:22
[07] Toccata septima . . . . . . . 09:51
[08] Toccata octava . . . . . . . 06:32
[09] Toccata nona . . . . . . . 06:56
total 64:29
CD 3
Georg Muffat (1653–1704)
[01] Toccata decima . . . . . . . 06:00
[02] Toccata undecima . . . . . . . 06:39
[03] Toccata Toccata duodecima
et ultima . . . . . . . 07:25
[04] Ciacona . . . . . . . 06:18
[05] Passacaglia . . . . . . . 13:49
[06] Nova Cyclopeias Harmonica . . . . . . . 11:57
total 52:40
Freundt-Orgel 1642 Stiftskirche Klosterneuburg (A)
CD 2: [01], [03], [05], [06], [08]
CD 3: [03], [04], [06]
L’orgue Silbermann 1732 d’Ebersmunster (F)
CD 2: [02], [04], [07], [09]
CD 3: [01], [02], [05]
CD 4
Johann Pachelbel (1653 –1706)
[01] Praeludium d Minor . . . . . . . 05:34
[02] Wir glauben all an einen Gott . . . . . . . 04:04
[03] Ciacona f Minor (transponiert nach d-Moll) . . . . . . . 07:03
[04]–[9] Magnificat octavi toni . . . . . . . 05:26
[10] Ricercar C Major . . . . . . . 03:45
[11] Toccata C Major . . . . . . . 02:09
[12] Ricercar c Minor . . . . . . . 05:42
[13] Fuga d Minor . . . . . . . 03:02
[14] Toccata c Minor . . . . . . . 02:59
[15] Fuga C Major . . . . . . . :22
[16]–[25] Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan . . . . . . . 02:22
[26] Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn . . . . . . . 03:46
[27] Nun lob mein Seel den Herren . . . . . . . 02:13
[28] Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her (transoponiert nach C-Dur) . . . . . . . 01:22
[28]–[35] Aria tertia . . . . . . . 07:01
[36] Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns den Gotteszorn wandt . . . . . . . 03:04
[37] Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern . . . . . . . 02:49
[38] Toccata C major . . . . . . . 01 : 49
total 75:08
[01]–[10] / [26]–[38] Stertzing-Orgel 1702, St. Petri, Erfurt-Büßleben (D)
[11]–[25] Crapp-Orgel 1722, Klosterkirche, Pappenheim (D)
CD 5
Buxheimer Orgelbuch (ca. 1460)
[01] Glockenläuten, Glocke St. Andreaskirche Ostönnen, gegossen am 24. Juni 1306 . . . . . . . 00:44
[02] Redeuntes in idem (231) . . . . . . . . 03:35
[03] Wolhin laß vögelin sorgen (14) . . . 01:40
[04] Portigaler (43). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:42
[05] Vil lieber Zit uff diser Erde (51) . . . 02:20
[06] Kyriel(eyson) Angelicum – Christeleyson – Ultimum Kyriel(eyson) (153–155) . 01:43
[07] Praembulum Super C (232a) . . . . . 01:52
[08] Praembulum Super Mi (233a) . . . . 01:37
[09] Redeuntes in mi (232d) . . . . . . . . . 02:09
[10] Allegalea (185) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:07
[11] Praembulum Super D (232c) . . . . . 02:17
[12] Gaudeamus (omnes in Domino) (35). . . . . . . . . 04:41
[13] Ellend du hast umbfangen mich (48) . . . . . . . . . . . 03:42
[14] Sequitur adhuc semel Ellend und Jamer (49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:28
[15] Redeuntes in idem (231) . . . . . . . 03:23
[16] Ein fröuwlin edel von natueren (19) . . . . . . . 03:10
[17] Veni virgo (76) . . . . . . . 01:54
[18] Salve Radix Josophanie (250) . . . . . . . 01:19
[19] Se la phase pale (255) . . . . . . . 02:06
[20] Redeuntes in d (232b) . . . . . . . 02:02
[21] Descendi in ortum meum (161) . . . . . . . :32
[22] Rorate celi desuper et nubes pl(uant iustum) (36) . . . . . . . 03:45
[23] Jeloy mors (18) . . . . . . . :18
[24] Redeuntes in La (234) . . . . . . . 01:09
[25] Anna vasanna (92) . . . . . . . 02:35
[26] Kyrieleyson de S(ancta) Maria V(irgine) – Christeleyson – Kyrieleyson Ultimum (150) . . . . . . . 02:23
[27] Ave Regina (258) . . . . . . . 02:57
total 64:12
Anonymus-Orgel ca. 1425, St. Andreaskirche, Soest-Ostönnen (D)
Ebert-Orgel 1558, Hofkirche Innsbruck (A)
CD 6
Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612)
[01] Introitus IV. toni. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14:20
[02] Canzon in C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:15
[03] Kein grösser frewdt. a. 8. voc: (transponiert nach g-Moll). . . . . . . . 04:14
Orgelmesse
[04] Kyrie Apostolorum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:07
[05] Kyrie Secondo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:44
[06] Christe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01:31
[07] Kyrie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:42
[08] Et in terra pax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:18
[09] Domine Deus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:25
[10] Cum Sancto Spiritu. . . . . . . . . . . . . 04:41
[11] Ach Gott von Himel sieh darein. . . 03:38
[12] Credo in unum Deum. . . . . . . . . . . 04:13
[13] Introitus in d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:07
[14] Ricercar in e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06:39
[15] Canzon in C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:27
[16] Ach weh der schweren pein. . . . . . . 03:09
[17] 2. Theil: Und weicht von mir gar ferr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:46
[18] Ricercar del secondo tono. . . . . . . . . 10:30
total 79:51
[01]–[12] Freundt-Orgel 1642 Stiftskirche Klosterneuburg (A)
[13]–[18] Günzer-Orgel 1609 St. Martin, Gabelbach (D)
Music From The Golden Age Of Rembrandt
Brilliant Classics
CD
$17.99
Mar 15, 2019
Mahler based the second movement of his Seventh Symphony on The Night Watch by Rembrandt, but the painter himself depicted few musicians and no acquaintances with musicians are known. His most famous musical contemporary was the keyboardist and composer Sweelinck, whose setting of Psalm 1 is presented here in a consort-style recording alongside three keyboard works played on harpsichord and organ. This collection also highlights much more unfamiliar names to illustrate the rich musical culture of the Low Countries at the time of the painter’s flourishing. There are vivid sacred madrigals by Herman Hollanders; stylish pavans by Cornelis Schuyt; a transcribed, extensive Salve Regina for organ by Pieter Cornet; a song for solo recorder by the lutenist Jacob van Eyck, Doen Daphne d’Over schoone Maegt; solo-vocal motets by the poet and diplomat Constantijn Huygens, who did in fact know Rembrandt; and much, much more. All the works and composers, however unfamiliar, are elucidated in an invaluable booklet essay. The organ recordings were made in the Oude Kerk of Amsterdam which played a significant role in Rembrandt’s life (and became the resting place of his wife, Saskia), on the church’s transept organ, which has been newly restored to the meantone temperament which the composers on this album would have known and written for. Full sung texts are also included in this invaluable and unrivalled collection.
Willaert: Musica Nova - The Motets / Singer Pur
Oehms Classics
CD
$47.99
Mar 26, 2013
WILLAERT Huc me sidereo. Dilexi quoniam exaudiet. Audite insulae. Haec est domus Domini. Verbum supernum prodiens. Confitebor tibi Domine. Te Deum Patrem ingenitum. Beati pauperes spiritu. Sustinuimus pacem. Praeter rerum seriem. Alma Redemptoris Mater. Mittit ad Virginem. Benedicta es coelorum Regina. Salve Sancta parens. Inviolata integra et casta. Sub tuum praesidium. O admirabile commercium. Aspice Domine. Peccata mea. Domine quid multiplicati sunt. Pater peccavi. Miserere nostri Deus omnium. Avertatur obsecro. Omnia quae fecisti. Recordare Domine. Victimae paschali laudes. Veni Sancte Spiritus • Singer Pur • OEHMS 835 (3 CDs: 225:35 Text and Translation)
When Adrian Willaert (c.1490-1562) arrived in Venice in 1527, he was the first Flemish musician to be appointed maestro di cappella of St. Mark’s basilica, and the last of a long and distinguished line of Franco-Flemish musicians to dominate the Italian musical scene in the 15th and early 16th centuries. Although his position gave him the opportunity, not to say the duty, of supplying music for Mass and Vespers for his celebrated choir, his output does not appear on records as frequently as the music of his successors, most notably Monteverdi. Only a fraction of his 150 motets are available, and I have only three of his eight Masses in my collection. (His madrigals are better represented.) The Musica Nova , from which these motets come, was published by Gardano in 1559 at the behest of Alfonso d’Este, soon to be duke of Ferrara, who acquired the manuscript from the singer Polissena Pecorina. It contained 25 madrigals and 27 motets, works dating back through his career but kept apart from other music already published earlier. With the madrigals issued earlier ( Fanfare 33:4), Singer Pur has now recorded the entire publication. In the previous review, I indicated that I had not found any of the madrigals on records (no reader has written to offer any information on this).
Most of these motets have two parts; some have three, and O admirabile commercium has seven parts. The motets are set out here in order of themes, not the order of the published book, where the motets are grouped in ascending order of settings for four, five, six, and seven voices. The first disc is generally in praise of the Blessed Trinity, the second is entirely Marian in devotion, and the third is penitential, concluding with the sequences of Easter and Pentecost. Except for the last two pieces, it is remarkable that three very full discs can be equally divided along three distinct themes. The texts are from the Psalms and other scriptural and liturgical sources. Considering that the composition of these motets may have extended over a period of some years, the polyphonic style is notably uniform.
One motet that is special for its breadth is O admirabile commercium , the seven-part motet that takes its text from the seven antiphons for Lauds and Vespers of January 1. (While this is the feast of the Circumcision, it is structured as a Marian feast, and since 1970 has been known as the feast of Mary, the Mother of God.) This motet for five voices runs almost half an hour. The liturgical texts draw on biblical allusions, as in Rubum quem viderat , the third section, which takes the account of the burning bush unburnt from Exodus as a parallel to Mary’s giving birth while her virginity remained intact. Singer Pur’s execution is uniformly exquisite, with four male singers added to the six members of the ensemble (five former choirboys at Regensburg cathedral plus a soprano). Along with the Cinquecento disc (34: 2), these two sets of Musica Nova may be regarded as the preeminent observance of the composer’s 450th anniversary. With this recorded evidence, Willaert demonstrably occupies a place leading up to the glories of the High Renaissance that the next generation of composers achieved. Be sure to hear this impressive set.
FANFARE: J. F. Weber
Widor: Organ Symphonies, Vol. 2
Naxos
CD
$9.99
$19.99
Save 50%
Apr 10, 2020
Charles-Marie Widor was a hugely influential and venerated musician in his day, and his innovative organ symphonies are both a pinnacle of the repertoire and a testament to his creative and technical mastery of the instrument. These spectacular works are in the grand Romantic manner, but Widor was keenly aware of his musical ancestry, referring to music of the past such as Bach's St. Matthew Passion in the opening of the Third Symphony. The Scherzo of the Fourth Symphony is one of Widor's finest symphonic movements, exploring the organ's sonic beauties. The original E major Scherzo from the Symphony No. 2, which Widor subsequently replaced with a Salve Regina can be heard on Track 6.
Le Divin Arcadelt: Candlemas In Renaissance Rome / Musica Contexta
Chandos
CD
$21.99
May 31, 2011
With excellent performances and a fine recording this comes with a warm stamp of approval.
Chandos’ recordings of Palestrina’s Music for Maundy Thursday (CHAN 0617), Music for Good Friday (CHAN 0652) and Music for Holy Saturday (CHAN 0679), performed by Musica Contexta directed by Simon Ravens were all described as ‘excellent performances’ in Brian Wilson’s download roundup of April 2009. If you have happened upon any of these releases you will have some idea of what to expect in this programme.
This is described as taking us on ‘a journey of Renaissance Rome on a February day at the end of the sixteenth century [on] Candlemas, the Day of the Purification, [and] at each church along the way we stop and listen to a piece of music.’ There are no special effects involved in this trip, and with no change in the acoustic there isn’t really any idea of different churches – presumably occupied by different choirs. I for one am however prepared to suspend disbelief and become completely absorbed in what is quite a special programme, filled as it is with music which sees its recorded appearance for the first time.
Not a huge amount is known about Jacques Arcadelt, or at least, the booklet notes don’t go into his life in great detail. The central work which threads this programme together is his Missa ‘Ave, Regina caelorum’ which used Andreas de Silva’s motet Ave, Regina caelorum as its basis. The whole sense of historical flow, from de Silva though Arcadelt to Palestrina, who arrived in Rome in the year Arcadelt left to go back to France, is as strong as the sense of flow through an imaginary Candlemas day of music, and the music has a seamless feel of unity and connection, one piece to the other. The warm accompaniments of The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble enhance a few of the works, with de Silva’s remarkably spare and modern sounding Inviolata, integra et casta es Maria providing something of a highlight in this regard, a solo female voice rising from among the rounded brass sounds as the contrapuntal lines intertwine through slow moving, sometimes somewhat enigmatic sounding harmonies. The choral richness of the Missa is cleverly dosed throughout the disc, the Agnus Dei delivering a climax which makes the entire journey all the more worthwhile.
Musica Contexta is not a huge vocal ensemble, and while their 12 voices, three to each part, can create a full and convincing choral sonority, the overall impression is one more of rather intimate music making than the grand-scale productions associated with Venice and the later fashions of the high Baroque. The singing is restrained, but by no means shorn of vibrato or expressive warmth, though there is something of a consistency of sound which can make everything sound a bit samey. A little more contrast might have been more inviting, and I have to admit this does sound more like Hampstead Garden Suburb than raunchy renaissance Rome, but this is after all not the kind of music which of its nature promises high drama and extremes of exotic expression. With only two out of 15 tracks not première recordings this is the kind of CD which is self-recommending in its field, and with excellent performances and a fine recording it comes with a warm stamp of approval.
-- Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International
Chandos’ recordings of Palestrina’s Music for Maundy Thursday (CHAN 0617), Music for Good Friday (CHAN 0652) and Music for Holy Saturday (CHAN 0679), performed by Musica Contexta directed by Simon Ravens were all described as ‘excellent performances’ in Brian Wilson’s download roundup of April 2009. If you have happened upon any of these releases you will have some idea of what to expect in this programme.
This is described as taking us on ‘a journey of Renaissance Rome on a February day at the end of the sixteenth century [on] Candlemas, the Day of the Purification, [and] at each church along the way we stop and listen to a piece of music.’ There are no special effects involved in this trip, and with no change in the acoustic there isn’t really any idea of different churches – presumably occupied by different choirs. I for one am however prepared to suspend disbelief and become completely absorbed in what is quite a special programme, filled as it is with music which sees its recorded appearance for the first time.
Not a huge amount is known about Jacques Arcadelt, or at least, the booklet notes don’t go into his life in great detail. The central work which threads this programme together is his Missa ‘Ave, Regina caelorum’ which used Andreas de Silva’s motet Ave, Regina caelorum as its basis. The whole sense of historical flow, from de Silva though Arcadelt to Palestrina, who arrived in Rome in the year Arcadelt left to go back to France, is as strong as the sense of flow through an imaginary Candlemas day of music, and the music has a seamless feel of unity and connection, one piece to the other. The warm accompaniments of The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble enhance a few of the works, with de Silva’s remarkably spare and modern sounding Inviolata, integra et casta es Maria providing something of a highlight in this regard, a solo female voice rising from among the rounded brass sounds as the contrapuntal lines intertwine through slow moving, sometimes somewhat enigmatic sounding harmonies. The choral richness of the Missa is cleverly dosed throughout the disc, the Agnus Dei delivering a climax which makes the entire journey all the more worthwhile.
Musica Contexta is not a huge vocal ensemble, and while their 12 voices, three to each part, can create a full and convincing choral sonority, the overall impression is one more of rather intimate music making than the grand-scale productions associated with Venice and the later fashions of the high Baroque. The singing is restrained, but by no means shorn of vibrato or expressive warmth, though there is something of a consistency of sound which can make everything sound a bit samey. A little more contrast might have been more inviting, and I have to admit this does sound more like Hampstead Garden Suburb than raunchy renaissance Rome, but this is after all not the kind of music which of its nature promises high drama and extremes of exotic expression. With only two out of 15 tracks not première recordings this is the kind of CD which is self-recommending in its field, and with excellent performances and a fine recording it comes with a warm stamp of approval.
-- Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International
More Divine Than Human - Music From Eton Choirbook / Choir Of Christ Church Oxford
Avie Records
CD
$19.99
Jun 01, 2009
In 1440 King Henry VI of England founded simultaneously two educational establishments to show his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. These were ‘the College Roialle of our Ladie at Eton beside Windsor and….the College Roialle of our Ladie and St. Nicholas of Cambridge.’ Thus were established what became two of the most venerable seats of learning – and of liturgical music – in England: Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge.
At Eton, where the college actually opened its doors in 1443, evening devotion to the Virgin was prescribed in the statutes from the start, with the singers required to sing in the chapel an antiphon in her honour every evening – in Lent it was always to be the ‘Salve Regina’. Over the years a corpus of music was assembled at Eton and by the early sixteenth century a significant amount of it had been copied into that remarkable treasury of music, which survives to this day, the Eton Choirbook.
The Choirbook contains a substantial amount of music. Some composers are represented by just one piece, whereas John Browne has no less than fifteen of his pieces preserved in it. From this vast collection Stephen Darlington has chosen five pieces, all of them quite substantial and all of considerable interest. Music from the Choirbook has been recorded by many ensembles, not least by The Sixteen, but here Darlington offers us the authentic experience of hearing it sung by an all-male church choir which is just a little larger than the Eton establishment of the time: the Eton choir consisted of sixteen choristers and ten lay clerks while for this recording Christ Church’s choir comprised eighteen trebles, four altos and five each of tenors and basses.
Just before discussing the performances, it’s appropriate to note the reason for the well-chosen title of the CD. Stephen Darlington tells us in the booklet that in 1515 an Italian visitor to Eton described the singing he heard there as ‘more divine than human’.
I’m unsure if the music is presented in chronological order in the programme. Indeed, little is known about many of the composers whose music is included in the Choirbook, still less is it possible to date with precision the date of composition of individual pieces. However, to judge from the dates of birth and death of the featured composers, it seems plausible to suppose a rough chronology. Furthermore, the pieces do seem to grow in complexity and intricacy as the disc progresses. So listening to the contents of the disc in the order in which they’re presented makes a lot of sense, I think. It was interesting to come to this disc hot on the heels of reviewing a disc by the choir of Edinburgh Cathedral devoted to the music of John Taverner. Taverner’s music was probably written a little later than anything on this present disc and his output represented the high water mark of the English florid style. There’s nothing in this programme to match the sheer exuberance of Taverner’s music though one can sense that trait developing as the pieces succeed one another. Interestingly, Darlington’s choir are not as unbuttoned and open-throated as their Edinburgh peers – that’s not an implied criticism – and their smoother, more mellifluous style is appropriate, I think, to the slightly more sober, though no less interesting music that they have recorded here.
John Fawkyner’s name was completely new to me and, it seems, nothing is known of his life. Gaude rosa sine spina is one of two pieces by him in the Choirbook. It’s not a particularly elaborate piece. I think I’d describe it as patient music, since it makes its effect cumulatively. Stephen Darlington’s fine choir sing it with suitable patience too and build it up well so that the final, affirmative stanza makes the proper effect.
There were two composers named William Cornysh, the second (younger?) of whom died in 1523. It is thought that this setting of ‘Salve Regina’ is by the earlier Cornysh, who can claim a footnote in musical history as the very first informator choristorum at Westminster Abbey. His five-part ‘Salve Regina’ shows an advance on Fawkyner’s piece in that the music is richer in texture and harmony and the polyphony is more intricate. It’s also a very beautiful composition. The present performance is a splendid one. Not only is the music very skilfully sung but a fine sense of atmosphere is generated. Listening to it, I found it quite easy to conjure up a mental picture of a candlelit evening rendition in the Eton chapel.
Walter Lambe’s ‘Magnificat’ is an alternatim setting This is a fine piece in which the polyphony frequently sounds celebratory. Stephen Darlington leads a strong performance.
Equally successful is the account of Richard Davy’s In honore summe matris. This is a luxuriantly expansive piece. The technical aspects of the music are very clever for we read in Timothy Symons’ good notes that the piece contains passages for no less than nine different combinations of two-part writing. These are all well done and the sections for full choir are no less impressive. Towards the end, leading up to and during the closing ‘Amen’, Davy employs triplets in some of the parts. In my experience this rhythmic device is not that common in music of this period and it makes an exciting effect.
Finally we hear Browne’s ‘Stabat Mater’, one of the jewels in the Choirbook. As befits the text, the tone of the music is quite sombre at the start but the music opens up as it unfolds and much of the full choir writing is texturally rich. It’s an imposing piece, which becomes ever more impressive as it progresses, and the concluding ‘Amen’ is quite magnificent. The choir perform it splendidly, sustaining the long lines, which are musically and mentally taxing, expertly.
There’s some marvellous music here. Throughout this fine disc the singing of the Christ Church is cultured and very impressive. They display excellent control and the tone is full and consistently pleasing to hear. There’s always good clarity in the delivery of the part writing, no matter whether a small group or the full choir is singing. It’s obvious that they’ve been expertly trained by Stephen Darlington. The recorded sound is atmospheric and reports the choir with clarity and presence.
-- John Quinn, MusicWeb International
At Eton, where the college actually opened its doors in 1443, evening devotion to the Virgin was prescribed in the statutes from the start, with the singers required to sing in the chapel an antiphon in her honour every evening – in Lent it was always to be the ‘Salve Regina’. Over the years a corpus of music was assembled at Eton and by the early sixteenth century a significant amount of it had been copied into that remarkable treasury of music, which survives to this day, the Eton Choirbook.
The Choirbook contains a substantial amount of music. Some composers are represented by just one piece, whereas John Browne has no less than fifteen of his pieces preserved in it. From this vast collection Stephen Darlington has chosen five pieces, all of them quite substantial and all of considerable interest. Music from the Choirbook has been recorded by many ensembles, not least by The Sixteen, but here Darlington offers us the authentic experience of hearing it sung by an all-male church choir which is just a little larger than the Eton establishment of the time: the Eton choir consisted of sixteen choristers and ten lay clerks while for this recording Christ Church’s choir comprised eighteen trebles, four altos and five each of tenors and basses.
Just before discussing the performances, it’s appropriate to note the reason for the well-chosen title of the CD. Stephen Darlington tells us in the booklet that in 1515 an Italian visitor to Eton described the singing he heard there as ‘more divine than human’.
I’m unsure if the music is presented in chronological order in the programme. Indeed, little is known about many of the composers whose music is included in the Choirbook, still less is it possible to date with precision the date of composition of individual pieces. However, to judge from the dates of birth and death of the featured composers, it seems plausible to suppose a rough chronology. Furthermore, the pieces do seem to grow in complexity and intricacy as the disc progresses. So listening to the contents of the disc in the order in which they’re presented makes a lot of sense, I think. It was interesting to come to this disc hot on the heels of reviewing a disc by the choir of Edinburgh Cathedral devoted to the music of John Taverner. Taverner’s music was probably written a little later than anything on this present disc and his output represented the high water mark of the English florid style. There’s nothing in this programme to match the sheer exuberance of Taverner’s music though one can sense that trait developing as the pieces succeed one another. Interestingly, Darlington’s choir are not as unbuttoned and open-throated as their Edinburgh peers – that’s not an implied criticism – and their smoother, more mellifluous style is appropriate, I think, to the slightly more sober, though no less interesting music that they have recorded here.
John Fawkyner’s name was completely new to me and, it seems, nothing is known of his life. Gaude rosa sine spina is one of two pieces by him in the Choirbook. It’s not a particularly elaborate piece. I think I’d describe it as patient music, since it makes its effect cumulatively. Stephen Darlington’s fine choir sing it with suitable patience too and build it up well so that the final, affirmative stanza makes the proper effect.
There were two composers named William Cornysh, the second (younger?) of whom died in 1523. It is thought that this setting of ‘Salve Regina’ is by the earlier Cornysh, who can claim a footnote in musical history as the very first informator choristorum at Westminster Abbey. His five-part ‘Salve Regina’ shows an advance on Fawkyner’s piece in that the music is richer in texture and harmony and the polyphony is more intricate. It’s also a very beautiful composition. The present performance is a splendid one. Not only is the music very skilfully sung but a fine sense of atmosphere is generated. Listening to it, I found it quite easy to conjure up a mental picture of a candlelit evening rendition in the Eton chapel.
Walter Lambe’s ‘Magnificat’ is an alternatim setting This is a fine piece in which the polyphony frequently sounds celebratory. Stephen Darlington leads a strong performance.
Equally successful is the account of Richard Davy’s In honore summe matris. This is a luxuriantly expansive piece. The technical aspects of the music are very clever for we read in Timothy Symons’ good notes that the piece contains passages for no less than nine different combinations of two-part writing. These are all well done and the sections for full choir are no less impressive. Towards the end, leading up to and during the closing ‘Amen’, Davy employs triplets in some of the parts. In my experience this rhythmic device is not that common in music of this period and it makes an exciting effect.
Finally we hear Browne’s ‘Stabat Mater’, one of the jewels in the Choirbook. As befits the text, the tone of the music is quite sombre at the start but the music opens up as it unfolds and much of the full choir writing is texturally rich. It’s an imposing piece, which becomes ever more impressive as it progresses, and the concluding ‘Amen’ is quite magnificent. The choir perform it splendidly, sustaining the long lines, which are musically and mentally taxing, expertly.
There’s some marvellous music here. Throughout this fine disc the singing of the Christ Church is cultured and very impressive. They display excellent control and the tone is full and consistently pleasing to hear. There’s always good clarity in the delivery of the part writing, no matter whether a small group or the full choir is singing. It’s obvious that they’ve been expertly trained by Stephen Darlington. The recorded sound is atmospheric and reports the choir with clarity and presence.
-- John Quinn, MusicWeb International
