With this release, the Cardinall's Musick and their director, Andrew Carwood, complete their survey of Thomas Tallis' sacred music. The earlier releases have been well worthwhile; this one is exceptional. The central attraction here is the mysterious 40-voice motet Spem in alium, often considered Tallis' greatest achievement. It's presented not only in its original Latin, but also in an English version someone made later. There are many recordings of this work, but this one must rank near the top, with its clean lines and ...
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With this release, the Cardinall's Musick and their director, Andrew Carwood, complete their survey of Thomas Tallis' sacred music. The earlier releases have been well worthwhile; this one is exceptional. The central attraction here is the mysterious 40-voice motet Spem in alium, often considered Tallis' greatest achievement. It's presented not only in its original Latin, but also in an English version someone made later. There are many recordings of this work, but this one must rank near the top, with its clean lines and sharp, dry acoustic (at St-Jude-on-the-Hill church) that capture the marvelous moments in the score where the music seems to come unmoored from its tonal world but then finds its footing again. The final climaxes are splendid indeed. Yet the really distinctive feature of the performances here lies in the organization of the program as a whole. Spem in alium is followed by examples of Tallis' spare Anglican idiom, with its simple syllabic settings and largely dissonance-free lines. The...
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