Cinquecento

Gramophone award nominees Cinquecento add another glorious recording to their Hyperion discography. This vocal sextet, comprising six professional singers from five European countries, are rapidly becoming one of the most admired early music ensembles of the time. The lithe, clear yet rich and warm tones of the six singers are the perfect instruments for the complex polyphony of the sixteenth century. Their profound collective and individual musicianship, mellifluous phrasing, perfect intonation and commitment to their chosen repertoire are clearly apparent in this gem of a disc.

However cultivated the European centres of Habsburg imperial power may have been, few could regularly have boasted musicians of the calibre of Cinquecento. Their ongoing exploration of Franco-Flemish repertoire from the sixteenth century uncovers major works by Johannes de Cleve and Jacobus Vaet.

In their third disc for Hyperion, the acclaimed vocal ensemble Cinquecento continue their exploration of the rich repertoire engendered in the Habsburg court. The prolific composer De Monte, Kapellmeister to the Emperor Maximilian II, wrote over a thousand madrigals as well as hundreds of sacred works, and the expressive aspects of the madrigal infuse his sacred music delightfully. His Missa Ultimi miei sospiri contains the constant interplay between groups of voices and dramatic word-setting which are features of the madrigal genre. The motets recorded here cover many Biblical and liturgical subjects and demonstrate the wide range of techniques and styles used by the composer.

Ludwig Daser's life and work encompassed both Catholic and Lutheran courts, at Munich and Stuttgart respectively. Cinquecento's program-which, besides the substantial Missa Pater noster, includes a selection of Latin motets and German chorale settings-illustrates a variety of styles and genres from both, offering a welcome introduction to this lesser-known master from the sixteenth century.

Two substantial Mass settings, sounding here as though Regnart might have written them specifically for the glorious voices of Cinquecento: this is a welcome contribution to the restoration of an important but still under-appreciated figure.

The members of Cinquecento turn to perhaps the pre-eminent composer of the sixteenth century: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. Settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah would have been integral to the liturgical rites of Holy Week: here is one of the most sublime.

This release presents music associated with the Renaissance master Josquin Des Prez, a composer who towers above all others in the first part of the sixteenth century. Numerous works were attributed to him that have now been proven to be by his contemporaries and successors, including the central work on this recording, Jean Richafort’s expansive and beautiful Requiem. It is performed with affecting clarity by the all-male vocal group Cinquecento, whose many previous discs of Renaissance repertoire for Hyperion have garnered the highest critical praise.

Ludwig Daser’s life and work encompassed both Catholic and Lutheran courts, at Munich and Stuttgart respectively. Cinquecento’s programme—which, besides the substantial Missa Pater noster, includes a selection of Latin motets and German chorale settings—illustrates a variety of styles and genres from both, offering a welcome introduction to this lesser-known master from the sixteenth century.