7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning, heart rending compositions & performance, September 18, 2001
This review is from: Tallis: Lamentations, Motets, String Music (Audio CD)
Like others, my first exposure to Tallis' music came through Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Variations On A Theme By Thomas Tallis." The theme on which those variations are based is on this CD (track 14, Third Tune for Archbishop Parker's Psalter), and you will be surprised when you hear the theme sung by the human voice, rather than RVW's strings. It is simply beautiful, and yet also somehow strident. So this CD will be a successful springboard into Tallis' music proper.
The Lamentations are beautifully sung, and have so much complexity to them that they will command your attention and then your heart. Other compositions here have a similar effect, but that is not to say that the entire CD is somber. It's never 'merry', but you won't come away depressed. Strong buy.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary Recording, November 26, 2004
This review is from: Tallis: Lamentations, Motets, String Music (Audio CD)
The juxtapositioning of the a cappella choral works and the instrumental works makes this recording unique and always fresh. Hillier's forces are top-notch. This is a candidate for my top 10 "stranded on a deserted island" collection. The choral singing is clear, precise, and even boisterous when called for. The lamentations are the best of the half-dozen versions I own.
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