Customer Reviews

Ockeghem: Requiem; Missa Fors Seulement

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This marvelous CD canvasses two great examples of Ockeghem's genius: Missa Fors Seulement (recorded here for the first time! ), a texturally cohesive, deeply reflective work, probably dating from the last decade of the composer's life, and Requiem, probably an earlier work, a texturally diverse compilation of movements that seem to accumulate in complexity with each passing movement - some say it's a pastiche from several Ockeghem's requiems, but perhaps it was intended as an exploration of styles witnessed and tried by Ockeghem during his life, from the most geometrical to the most florid and melodic. These amazing musical contrasts, all within 71 minutes of playing time, help one appreciate the reason Ockeghem was so respected by his contemporaries. The booklet mentions the poetic and musical tributes to Ockeghem that were written on his death. The most well known of them is Josquin's Deploration on the death of Ockeghem (nymphes du bois) which can be heard on The Hilliard's recording of Josquin's Motets and Chansons - listen to it, it weaves two lines of Requiem into the heart-rending secular lament by poet Molinet. The "fillers" on this disc are also remarkable. One is a setting of Ockeghem's famous rondeau Fors Seulement by Pierre de la Rue (Ockeghem's original Fors Seulement is also featured). The other is the darkly intriguing Du Tout Plongiet by Antoine Brumel. The Clerks vocalize all four parts, but, as was observed by Gramophone, they owe their inspiration to the pioneering recording of this work by David Munrow, on the Art of the Netherlands CD, with Martyn Hill and Geoffrey Shaw, accompanied by two bass viols. This single piece, with two lines of thought moving simultaneously in perfect counterpoint, is so beautiful that it alone is worth the price of this disc. Unsurprisingly, this disc won a Gramophone award.

Though not as well known today as predecessor Guillaume Dufay and prot'è'gè Josquin Desprez, Johannes Ockeghem (c. 1410-1497) was revered by contemporaries and was once considered the premier composer of the 15th Century. Josquin himself acknowledged Ockeghem's importance, commemorating his predecessor in the lament "La d'èploration de Jehan Ockeghem."

With "Missa Fors Seulement," Ockeghem follows in the footsteps of Dufay, who pioneered the technique of basing the Mass Ordinary on a pre-existing tenor from a secular source (as opposed to a Church-approved plainsong chant) with his "Missa Se la face ay pale." One key difference is that while Dufay's "Missa se la face ay pale" was based on a short chanson, Ockeghem structures his Mass on a song ("Fors Seulement") that's longer than any of the individual Mass movements. Ockeghem begins each Mass movement with a haunting "head motif" based on a descending tetrachord. From there, Ockeghem plunges his lower voices to depths unexplored by previous composers, creating an effect that is positively spine-tingling.

"Requiem," the earliest surviving Requiem Mass composition by any composer, represents an entirely different side of Ockeghem. Ockeghem explores a variety of polyphonic textures, thereby eschewing compositional unity. In this, he seems to have influenced later composers such as Obrecht.

The inclusion of works based on "Fors Seulement" by Pierre de la Rue and Antoine Brumel illustrates Ockeghem's influence on the following generation of composers and reinforces Ockeghem's place in music history.

This is the second CD I heard in the Clerks' Group's Ockeghem series (after "Missa de plus en plus; 5 Motets"). Once again, their performances excel, as do the disc's production values. The Clerks' Group's efforts to restore Ockeghem's reputation are clearly succeeding, and I look forward to hearing the rest of their series.

This is a stunning recording in every respect. The voices are perfectly blended and the digital recording mix provides impeccable clarity so that every line has definition. This music of Okeghem, especially as performed by this superb vocal ensemble, should appeal to all those who have come to recognize the meditative beauty of Hildegarde's monophonic music. Imagine three or four single voiced gregorian chant lines weaving in and out of each other but with rhythmic vigor to form a a rich tapestry of sound and you may begin to form an appreciation of this great music. Trying to imagine the ideal setting for appreciation of this music. Certainly it was written to accompany the solemn ritual of the Catholic mass but unlike the later composers of the renaissance, this music is not intended as a display for royalty but truly an introspective experience. While the music is ever evolving and changing, it remains the same like the facets of a turning diamond catching different light reflections. Okeghem was one of the greatest of the Flemish 15th century composers whose work was highly respected and imitated by his contemporaries and his successors. He is one of the important events in the historical evolution of a kind of spiritaul music that ultimately culminated in the music of the great J.S. Bach. When listening to this music, light a candle, remove all distractions and allow yourself and all the cells of your body to be acted upon by its full deep resonance.

This is a splendid recording. It gives one the experience of this medieval composer's glorious work. The Requiem is calm, solber and sublime, whilst the Missa Fors Seulement, particularly in the Gloria and Credo, has power and a number of chords that chill the spine with their primal majesty. I recommend this to all connoisseurs et connoisseuses of early music.

A revelatory performance of one of the more difficult early music composers, this disk brings together an excellent balance of music, performed with precision and great beauty. The sound is slightly rougher than Tallis Scholars but tuning is excellent and in general Clerks' Group is extremely effective at communicating the etheral beauty and unique sounds of this music. I like the selection of works, which includes two versions of the original motet upon which the Missa Fors Selement was based.

My first listening of this CD was mesmerising - the music is beautiful and it is gorgeously sung. The Fors Seulement Chanson by Ockeghem is very moving and so is the mass of the same name. Whilst the Requiem is the more famous piece, I found it less warm than the other pieces on the CD. All in all this is a trully great recording. If you are interested in polyphony, then this is a must for you.

From the moment this first begins to play, you realise this is something special: the exquisite clarity of the vocal tone, and the overall crystal nature of the recording, makes this a wonderful collection of sacred music indeed. As other reviewers have recognised, there is considerable variety in the collection of pieces here. Although the Requiem is the most famous piece, it does have a studied and dispassionate coolness, not present in the other pieces; nevertheless it has a striking beauty of tone and harmonic line, and at a higher register than the other pieces. Perhaps this contrast is what leads us to find the other pieces, predominately the 'Fors Seulement' to have a greater warmth, as there is less treble and much greater bass to add warmth to these pieces, which are typical of most of Ockeghem's work.
In summary, this is a choir at the very peak of performance, delivering a very accessible and very melodic collection of sacred pieces. Production values are similarly outstanding, which makes this an essential disc for any collector of early music. (Gramophone 'outstanding' award).

This is an excellent recording of notable works by one of the great figures of the Flemish school. The music is lovely and the performances are first rate.

This recording of three works by Johannes Ockeghem,One By Pierre de la Rue, and one by Antoine Brumel appeals to me far more than a recording done by the Tallis Scholars of 'Missa Au travail suis' and 'Missa De plus en plus'. The distinction to my ears is that this recording by The Clerk's Group seems to stand out from the crowd of other early Renaissance works, and The Tallis Scholars' recording does not. The difference is especially notable as both recordings are done on 'minor' labels and not on one of the majors such as Hyperion or harmonia mundi. I am happy to agree with the recommendation of such a prestigious authority as 'The Gramaphone' reviewer.