|
New
Johannes Ockeghem: Missa cuiusvis toni
Ensemble Musica Nova
Aeon 0753
This is the first recording presenting four complete versions of this famous Ockeghem mass. It must be said, however, that there are good reasons to believe that there are only two versions of this mass through the laws of musica ficta (see the essay in this foundation's library) !
The singing is very round and little attention has been payed to rhetorical expression.
Audiofiles
|
|
New
Josquin, Missae Ad Fugam and Sine Nomine
Tallis Scholars
Gimell Cdgim 039
Finally a recording with the Tallis Scholars which is not only beautiful but tries to convey the deep expression of the music. These late masses are the epitome of Josquin's mastery in canonic writing and contrapuntal devices which are a late tribute to his master Ockeghem.
Audiofiles
|
|
New
Antoine Brumel, Missa de Beata Virgine and Motets
Speculum Ensemble
Naxos 8.570353
The Ensemble sings this very celebrated mass and Marian motets with oriental flavor and high emotional quality, sometimes with shaky intonation.
Audiofiles
|
|
New
Antoine Brumel: Missa Victimae paschali laudes and motets
Hilliard Ensemble
Coro Cor16052
This is a very fine live recording of the Hilliards from 1997 showing their extraordinary qualities: exemplary rendering of the text, perfect phrasing and wonderful interaction of the voices. All needed for works of Brumel that need a blance between architecture and line.
Audiofiles
|
|
New
Francisco de Peņalosa: Missa El Ojo and Motets
Ensemble Peņalosa
Organum Classics Ogm 261081
Peņalosa (ca. 1470-1528) is the founding father of a whole generation of Spanish composers. His style is firmly embedded in the flemish tradition, highly expressive and varied. This record gives a beautiful rendering of a large scope of his work although it could and should have been more rhetorically oriented.
Details and audiofiles
|
|
Adam von Fulda (1445-1505) : Mass
Stimmwerck
Cavalli Records
Our Slow Listening partner Stimmwerck has discovered this rare and very impressive composer of the early German Renaissance. His mass has a very personal style which comes closest to Obrecht. Stimmwerck sings vividly, with impressive rhetorical approach.
Audiofiles
|
|
New
Jacobus Regnart: Missa super Oeniades Nymphae and Motets
Cinquecento
Hyperion CDA 67640
Another discovery in the circle of the Habsburg court: Jacobus Regnart (ca. 1540-1599) was one of five (!) composing brothers. His motets are moving and have a personal appeal. Cinquecento's singing is simply lavish and beautiful.
Details and audiofiles
|
|
Music for the Court of Maximilian II
Works by Jacobus Vaet, Antonius Galli and Pieter Maessens
Hyperion CDA 67579
There are still discoveries to be made in 16th century music, especially at the important Habsburg court. The music of Jacobus Vaet (1529-1567) deserves its place alongside Clemens non Papa and even Lassus.
Details and audiofiles
|
|
Pierre de Manchicourt: Missa Cuidez vous que Dieu vous faille und Motetten
The Brabant Ensemble
Hyperion CDA 67604
Pierre de Manchicourt (1610-1664) turns out to be one of the unrightly forgotten masters of the 16th century as he composed in a slightly more complicated and "obscure" manner than his famous collegues. He worked mostly in France (Tours, Arras) and towards the end of his life with Philipp II of Spain.
|
|
Songbook of Hieronymus Lauweryn van Watervliet
Egidius Kwartet
Etcetera KTC 1314
Between 1497 and 1507 this dutch nobleman and lover of the arts collected a representative choice of many secular and few religious pieces. Especially noteworthy is the large part of dutch songs in this collection. Egidius Kwartet sings with very good feeling for the different genres and moods of these pieces. They succeeded in a convincing setting of the texts as the stuck closely to the original source.
Details and audiofiles
|
|
Gilles Binchois
Chansons
graindelavoix
Glossa GCD P32102
This is a sensational Cd. Graindelavoix tries a unique new way of colouring and ornamentation of the singing voice. The instrumental voices try to improvise in the style of Ars Subtilior. Whether this is fully historical remains to be discussed, it comes much closer to the spirit of this music than anything I have heard before.
Details and audiofiles
|
|
Pierre de la Rue: Missa Ave MariaCapilla FlamencaMusique en Wallonie, MW 0633Missa Ave Maria, Motetten (Ave Regina caelorum, Regina coeli, Salve Regina II, Salve matrer salvatoris). As expected the new cd of Capilla Flamenca is on a very high level of interpretation, especially in its rhetorical approach. Audiofiles
|
|
Alexander Agricola: Instrumental fantasies and songs
Fretwork and Michael Chance
Harmonia mundi france HMU 907421
Wonderful viol playing for compelte versions e. g. De tous biens plaine or Comme femme desconfortee.
Audiofiles
|
|
Dufay Chansons
Tetraktys
Olive Music Om 005
Thirteen partly rarely recorded chansons by Dufay. Very good instrumental playing. Unfortunately, as it is done so often, the texts are sung almost without consonants (Jill Feldman). In these chansons you must be able to understand every word, not to mention interpretation of the texts. This is still a rare exception, not the rule.
Details and soundfiles
|
|
Josquin: Missa Gaudeamus and Motets
De Labyrintho
Symphonia 33722
De Labyrintho is an excellent new ensemble with distinctly different voices. They have an excellent understanding of the counterpoint and transmit the music with great lucidity. Unfortunately, there is once more no translation of the Latin texts. This is highly annoying.
Soundfiles
|
|
Ockeghem, Missa Caput
graindelavoix
Glossa GCDP32101
Ockeghem in a completely different fashion: oriental voices, very rough and at times quite (voluntarily?) out of tune. Nevertheless the sound effects and the immediacy of this interpretation are worth being listened at. It may not be your favorite but it may change the immage of the music into a very interesting direction.
Unfortunately, Glossa has decided to publish no more translations. Even the promised translations in the internet are not to be found there. This is a lamentable development and does injustice to the interpretations.
Details
|
|
Dulcis Melancholia
Music around Margaret of Austria
Capilla Flamenca
MW 0525
Capilla Flamenca is to be hihgly praised for its lively interpretations of songs by Josquin, Brumel and especially the touching songs of Pierre de la Rue. The rendering of the texts is outstanding. For once they are really understood and on the same level as the music.
Details and soundfiles
|
|
Pierre de la Rue
Missa Incessament
Ensemble Amarcord
Raumklang RK ap 10105
A true masterpiece sung in an exemplary way by a partner of our foundatione: Ensemble Amarcord!
Soundfiles
|
|
Ex libris Doctoris Amberbachii
Ensemble La Morra
MGB CD 6237
Pieces from the first music prints of Basel. Bonifacius Amerbach (1495-1562) was the founder of a generation of music printers and a passionate music collector. The pieces by Senfl, Buchner, Josquin, Greiter, Tromboncino et al. bear witness of a very rich and monifold musical culture in late Renaissance Basel.
Details and soundfiles
|
|
Jacobus de Kerle
Parts from the Missa Da Pacem Domine and the Missa pro Defunctis
Huelgas Ensemble
HMC 901866
This is a big discovery. De Kerle composes on the same level as Lasso, Palestrina, de Victoria...Highly original and with a lot of fantasy. The Huelgas Ensemble at its best!
Details
|
|
Il cantar moderno
Italian Songs of the 15th century
Ensemble Daedalus
Accent ACC 10068
The Italian Song repertoire is still underrepresented on record. This is a very fine collection of songs from Montecassino 871, El Escorial IV. a. 24 and Codex Cordiforme.
Details
|
|
Heinrich Finck: Missa dominicalis
Ensemble Stimmwerck
Cavalli Records CCD 325
Other works on this record: hymns and songs, some of them out of the recently discovered Ottheinrich partbook.
This record is excellent and highly recommandable, the mass is a particularily beautiful work.
Audiofiles
|
|
Dufay Motets
Cantica Symphonia, Quadrivium
Glossa GCD P31901
15 Motets of Dufay. Especially interesting is the structural use of instruments.
Details
|
|
Dufay
Missa Puisque je vis
in addition:
Compere's Omnium bonorum plena
The Binchois Consort
|
|
Antoine Busnois
Missa O Crux lignum, Motets and Chansons
Orlando Consort
Harmonia Mundi France HMU 907333
A representative choice of genres of this still underestimated composer, pupil of Ockeghem and later on in the service of the court of Burgundy.
Details
Audiofiles
|
deutsche Version 
