Customer Reviews

Psallite!-Renaissance Christmas

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This was the first CD of Chanticleer's that I ever purchased and I have been enamored with the group ever since. Especially from an all-male vocal ensemble, I was not expecting much in the way of the blend and tonality necessary for Renaissance music. Having sung in a high school Madrigal group with a conductor who received his Master's in Renaissance Music, I felt able to judge their quality. I was more than pleasantly surprised; I was dumbfounded at the capability of this group to effectively and correctly sing this style of music. Renaissance music is not one of the hardest forms of music to sing but singers typically treat it with such ease that they often sing it incorrectly. Chanticleer does an excellent job of conveying the text of what they are singing through their rich but delicate blend and uncanny control of dynamic contrast. The O Admirabile Commercium immediately sets the tone for the rest of the repertoire: controlled, fluid, engaging. They also introduce pieces that are necessarily stays of Renaissance music. While most ensembles turn to Palestrina and Victoria, Chanticleer instead gives the listener great music from less-known composers. They offer a wonderful Renaissance education with every piece as they run the gamut on style, text, and language, and never failing to give each piece its due by treating it as if it were a premier. I have bought three other Chanticleer CDs because of this one. It is music that is fit for any time of year, not just Christmas, and it is done right.

This CD from Chanticleer's earliest years doesn't have the same high production standards or stellar countertenor corps that their later Christmas CDs have, but it does have a lot of soul. Also, it contains some nice, unusual programming choices - their "Queramus cum pastoribus" has a lot of rhythmic drive and passion, and "Canite Tuba in Sion" is a mens' chorus barnburner. I've been lucky enough to see them at USF in San Francisco with a few of this CD's personnel present. Recommended for Renaissance music fans and people seeking to expand their Christmas music selection into a rich part of the classical tradition.