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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Don't let this recording fool you..., August 17, 1999
This review is from: Allegri:Miserere (Audio CD)
The Tallis Scholars have earned a reputation (largely deserved) for being one of the best (or maybe THE best) groups of singers of early music. One thing to note about them, however, is that, more than many similar groups, the quality of their personnel is quite volatile. Don't get me wrong, in general their quality is always high, but you just can't ever tell what you're going to get. In this recording, for example, the basses are sometimes overpowering, which is especially a problem in a piece like the Miserere which is especially transparent due to the small size of the performing choir. But in general the music is good. Another thing to be careful of has nothing to do with the choir, but rather the Miserere mei Deus, by Allegri. I don't want to criticize this music or the performance of it, but I really do believe that it is over-recorded. Please don't buy this recording just because of that piece. The other masterworks on this CD are brilliant, especially the Pope Marcellus Mass. The Miserere does have its beautiful moments, but musically there's really not much going on. The Palestrina, for instance, gets better and better with every listen... you find even more touching beauty every time you hear it. The Allegri, on the other hand, is beautiful in a superficial way... the beauty you might find when you first hear it will fade. If you've heard it once or twice you've heard most of what there is to hear. My warning, then, is don't let that piece overshadow the truly wonderful music on this recording. Don't buy it just for that piece. But for all that, the recording is good. The quality of the singing is high. Their sense of tempo is generally good, but at times a little fast. Palestrina especially needs the most delicate treatment, which seems almost impossible to give at times. But for the most part the job they do is a good one.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Breathtaking, December 4, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Allegri:Miserere (Audio CD)
This recording came out in 1980, and marks the beginning of the Tallis Scholars' wonderful recording career. The highlight of the disc is Mundy's Vox Patris, and the Scholar's performance of the piece. Vox Patris is a sublime piece of music that lifts the soul, and assures the listener that there is a greater meaning to life. This is beautiful music.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Haunting, gloriously evocative and rich, July 2, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Allegri:Miserere (Audio CD)
I had never before heard Allegri's Miserere. My original purpose in selecting this CD had been due to my passion for the Tallis Scholars, and having so enjoyed their interpretation of Tallis' Spem in Alium. But when I heard Miserere for the first time, it brought tears to my eyes, for it is one of the most beautiful choral pieces I have ever heard. One can almost picture in one's eye a Renaissance Pope on his knees before the Cross in the Vatican, such are the images Miserere evokes. Exquisite.
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