Music of the Renaissance - 2CD set

Name: Music of the Renaissance - 2CD set
Brand: Gloriae Dei Cantores
SKU: 9781612618296
Price: 25.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Palestrina and Masters of the Renaissance

By (artist) Gloriae Dei Cantores

$25.99

ISBN: 9781612618296
Trim size: 0 x 0 inches
Weight: 6 ounces.
Publication Date: 01 Jun 2012
Product ID: 8296
Format: CD-Audio

"Imagine you are in one of the oldest and most beautiful cathedrals in Italy. Close your eyes and hear a Palestrina mass being sung . . . balanced, serene, clear, and excellent sound reproduction."—Choral Journal

This Renaissance Collection features sacred music from one of the most inspired periods in the arts. Each of the European schools of composition (Italian, Flemish, German, Spanish, and English) is represented by a total of twenty composers, offering a fascinating cross-section of styles and influences. Great masters including Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, hailed through the centuries as "prince and father of music," wrote music of unsurpassed grace and beauty. Included in this collection are Lassus, Byrd, and Victoria, as well as lesser-known composers such as Hassler, de Wert, Nanino, and many others. Featured in this set is the only existing recording of Palestrina's Missa Descendit Angelus Domini and the Missa Beatae Mariae Virginis II, also included is the Missa super Bella Amfitrit’ altera by Lassus, generally considered one of his finest works.

Media

Reviews

"This group deserves all the praise it gets for its recordings and international concert tours. It's a remarkable achievement. Recommended."
—Fanfare

"Gloriae Dei Cantores is the only amateur choir I know of that can beat many a professional ensemble at their own game. Here, in a reissue from 1996, is a generous survey of luscious Renaissance choral music performed in a special venue: Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA — a restored 19th century edifice that has hosted many notable historical figures, from politicians to musicians. . . .

I've lost count of the albums I've covered from this group -- what can I say about them without sounding like a broken record? . . . Ms. Patterson is a true choral alchemist, and never fails to draw truly golden sound and beautifully nuanced singing from her hard-working musicians. Sacred illumination is their mission, and they achieve it with spiritual sincerity and power.

Recorded sound is especially ravishing, capturing Mechanics Hall's warm, yet detailed acoustic. Excellent notes and full texts."
—American Record Guide

"This is quite an astonishing competitor to such celebrated ensembles as The Sixteen . . . This disc will greatly enlarge most collections of Renaissance motets with rare pieces of outstanding worth, sung with skill and devotion."
—Fanfare

The trick to mastering counterpoint lies in mastering it completely...herein lies the glory of this magnificent, essential release...Patterson clearly has genius in selecting just the right tempos and dynamics...serious, winning, and convincing. If we have ever had a finer Palestrina recording available, I've not heard it.
—In Tune Magazine

Is it possible for a mixed choir of 44 voices to sing late Renaissance and early Baroque Flemish, Italian, German, and French antico polyphony in an artistic, historically informed manner? Probably not very often—that is, unless the mixed choir in question is the Gloriae Dei Cantores. For them, the answer is an emphatic affirmative. This group sings with the clarity and control of a carefully drilled chamber ensemble a fifth their size. Phrasing, intonation, articulation, blend, and color are precisely thought out and perfectly executed.
—The American Organist

"They have demonstrated a polished musicality, combined with a versatile command of a wide-ranging repertoire of literature and styles...the richness and sonority is almost hypnotically beautiful. Palestrina was, after all, one of the great composers of music for grouped human voices, and there is no reason why we should not enjoy such luscious, expansive (yet stylistically sensitive) realizations of his music. Good notes; full texts and English translations. Alike to the Palestrina collector or the lover of wonderful choral sound, this release is warmly recommended."
—American Record Guide

Author Bio

Gloriæ Dei Cantores (Singers to the Glory of God) holds a passionate dedication to illuminate truth and beauty through choral artistry, celebrating a rich tradition of sacred choral music from Gregorian chant through the twenty-first century. Currently under the direction of Richard K. Pugsley, Gloriæ Dei Cantores has received critical acclaim for its artistic elegance, performance authenticity, and compelling spirituality. Sharing its vision of inspiration and hope, the choir has toured extensively, touching the hearts of audiences in twenty-four countries in Europe, Asia, and N. America. Its discography of over fifty recordings is distributed internationally through Paraclete Recordings, a division of Paraclete Press, Inc., and NAXOS, Inc. The choir makes its home in Orleans, MA. www.gdcchoir.org