Customer Reviews

Sacred Music in the Renaissance Vol. 1

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This is a fantastic set of four CDs, the first of three released by the Tallis Scholars to mark 30 years of recordings. Volume 1 is a selection from the 1980s, and genuinely does represent some of their finest recordings - which from the Tallis Scholars is really saying something. The track listings on this page give a good summary of the works included (Disc 2 is entirely devoted to Thomas Tallis, with a selection of his most beautiful Latin motets and simpler but no less lovely works for the English liturgy.) I have owned and loved all of the original discs from which these recordings are taken for many years, and together they form a magnificent set.

There are many well-known works here, like their seminal (and still, in my view, unsurpassed) 1980 recording of Allegri's Miserere, Tallis's Spem in alium, lovely mass settings by Byrd and Palestrina and Victoria's Requiem which is a strong contender for my Desert Island. The less well-known music is just as good, though. These recordings first introduced me to Clemens non Papa and Cornysh, for example, and I have loved them ever since.

As to the singing - it's magnificent. The Tallis Scholars trademark immaculate tuning, ideal blend and balance and crystal clarity are there throughout, as is their real engagement with the text. The recorded sound is impeccable and ideally suited to the group's sound, and the notes and full texts are excellent.