Reviews

Music from Renaissance Portugal II

"The choir's bright and vigorous sound is ideal for this music. Individual lines are sensitively shaped so as to create effective dynamic contrasts. Lobo's rhythmically exciting climaxes have all the necessary exuberance, and the performances communicate a strong sense of commitment to the music." Daily Telegraph, 16/11/02

Music from Renaissance Portugal

It is the sheer musicianship which distinguishes this recording. Rees’s singers … have clearly worked hard to attain the very highest standards of ensemble and intonation… Rees’s profound knowledge of and commitment to this repertory certainly pays dividend here… Rush out and buy this one! (Gramophone)

An absolute revelation… The choir is most tastily handled: dead in tune, with remarkable tightness and nuance of gesture… with nice attention to musical and textual detail… Performances that will, I suspect, be hard to surpass. (Early Music)

The Cambridge Taverner Choir … with perfect tuning and phrasing instils a vibrant glow to the flowing textures of the music… Highly recommended ***** (Classic CD)

The music is utterly beautiful … If you have yet to savour early Portuguese music, now is the time, and this is the disc. (Organists’ Review) 

What is Our Life?

This is passionate singing …these singers know how to sing… each voice rises and expresses its own anguish before subsiding beneath the others… The diction is meticulous… Gloriously full sound. (Early Music Review)

The singing here is very fine indeed. The long, flowing lines are splendidly controlled, the enormous expressive potential is fully realised, particularly in some of the awesome crescendos; the chording is clear, rock-steady and well-balanced, and the tone fresh, warm and resonant. The sheer beauty of the voices is a delight… The quality of this singing cannot but be a powerful attraction. (Choir and Organ)

The Song the Virgine Soong
Christmas Music from Tudor England

… a listener can feel how the performers are themselves moved by the beauty of the marvellous music they are making. (Gramophone)***** (BBC Music)

The most refreshing Christmas recording to come my way for a long time. (Organists’ Review)The choir’s performances are immaculate … The quality of the music could not be bettered …The best disc of its type. (Cathedral Music)