This release from the High Renaissance specialist Brabant Ensemble is of a scholarly cast. One wouldn't choose it as a first excursion into Josquin's music. The booklet notes go into a great deal of detail about which of these compositions might or might not be authentically by Josquin, something of less interest to the listener who wants to know whether they are musically and philosophically persuasive. Except for the polyphonically virtuosic Alma redemptoris mater / Ave regina caelorum, there's not a famous Josquin piece ...
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This release from the High Renaissance specialist Brabant Ensemble is of a scholarly cast. One wouldn't choose it as a first excursion into Josquin's music. The booklet notes go into a great deal of detail about which of these compositions might or might not be authentically by Josquin, something of less interest to the listener who wants to know whether they are musically and philosophically persuasive. Except for the polyphonically virtuosic Alma redemptoris mater / Ave regina caelorum, there's not a famous Josquin piece in the bunch, and the pieces will be new to many hearers. Moreover, except for the short mass-related works at the end of the program, they're big, text-heavy, two-section works of some complexity; they take close attention to appreciate. All this said, even general listeners who like Josquin will get a lot out of this release. The pieces give a sense of Josquin's vast compositional range, which reached back into styles and devices of the middle 15th century and forward into the...
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