Of the 24 works by Orlande de Lassus recorded here, 15 are claimed to be receiving their premiere recordings. Right off, that makes this fine set of performances worthwhile; Lassus' output was enormous (some 2,000 pieces), and large parts of it remain untouched by all but scholars. Yet the contributions this album makes only begin with the novelty of the repertory. The often-recorded Lassus pieces, like the chanson La nuict froide et sombre, are vivid but modest in scope, but the collection of pieces here shows an entirely ...
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Of the 24 works by Orlande de Lassus recorded here, 15 are claimed to be receiving their premiere recordings. Right off, that makes this fine set of performances worthwhile; Lassus' output was enormous (some 2,000 pieces), and large parts of it remain untouched by all but scholars. Yet the contributions this album makes only begin with the novelty of the repertory. The often-recorded Lassus pieces, like the chanson La nuict froide et sombre, are vivid but modest in scope, but the collection of pieces here shows an entirely different side of his musical personality. These are big pieces, many with six or seven voices (the latter a particularly tricky configuration to hold together), and they vary wildly in tone. Sample Quid gloriaris in malitia (Why do you boast, tyrant, track 15), where the music seems to amplify the bitter tone of the text from Psalm 52; the piece clearly had some topical reference at the time, but the fact that the exact meaning is lost doesn't make the music any less effective. The...
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