Customer Reviews

Monterverdi: Masses and Motets (Mass for Four Voices, Mass for Six Voices 'In Illo Tempore', Cantate Domine))

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Monteverdi was one of the great composers of all time. These two masses and motets are absolutely sublime pieces. If you don't know them you won't be sad if you take the time to get to know them.

And The Sixteen perform these works with wonderful intonation and sensitive dynamics and phrasing. They have power and majesty as well as the soft and prayerful. What a great job.

I don't know about you, but I enjoy hearing pure intervals and dense polyphony. There is something about the vowels and consonants popping off here and there with the opening and closing and the changing of the vowels.

Who cares if the words can't be understood at times! Everyone knows them, that isn't the point! It is the transcendent quality of the music that we are after and Monteverdi provides us with musical wonders and The Sixteen and Harry Christophers (the sixteen harry christophers!)provide wonderful performances.

This is a very good disk to own.

The Mass for Four Voices is one of my favorite Masses (particularly the Gloria), for both liturgical performance and listening/appreciating, and this recording could not be more superb. If you are reading this, then you are likely familiar with the Sixteen, whose recordings as of recent (past decade) are top notch. The price is a shame, but this is truly a must have. If I were forced to throw away all but five CDs or so, this would be the first I'd set aside. To get an idea of my taste (which may help you), my other favorites include The Sixteen's Bach Motets, J.E. Gardener's (Monteverdi Choir) version of Handel's Dixit Dominus, Shaw's (don't laugh) Poulenc Mass in G and motets (for Advent and Lent). I also quite like organ works by Bach, Franck, Langlais, Widor, etc., and all sorts of choral Renaissance music, expecially Palestrina, Taverner, and Guerrero. Buy this!