This disc gives us a tour of some of the great composers that were
hired by the great dynasty of the Hapsburgs - or should that be Habsburgs?
Scholars differ - in their 16th century heyday. It includes famous
names like Tallis and Josquin, but also those I'd never come
across before, such as Crecquillon and Isaac. In the scholarly but
accessible booklet, however, we are given sufficient historical details
for each composer, as well as colour illustrations of the principal
Habsburg monarchs involved; in other words, it’s up to Harmonia
Mundi’s usual high standards. This disc would be interesting
purely as a historic exploration, even without the breathtaking musicianship
on show.
What musicianship it is. I've written before
of Stile Antico's collaborative spirit and magical sound. What
strikes me most in this recording is the incredible tightness of their
sound, a consequence, no doubt, of their refusal to sing with a conductor.
Their more democratic approach to music-making breeds more of a spirit
of cooperation, and it also means they have to listen more
carefully to one another.
The results are exciting and beautiful. There is some fairly "standard
" polyphony from Morales to begin with, but I liked the lighter
textures of Crequillon. Much darker, by contrast, are the ensuing
motets from Senfl — a rich and stark public funeral ode for
Maximilian I — and the much more private, intimate farewell
from Josquin, close and familiar. Gombert's Magnificat maintains
transparency while building up to a radiant final Gloria. He then
sets the same text as Josquin and gets interestingly different results,
still poignant but with more emphasis on the upper voices. Pierre
de la Rue's Absalon fili mi is a lament for the death
of Philip of Burgundy, full of painful dissonances and dark harmonies.
Clemens builds an impressive structure from very simple building blocks,
and appropriately flatters Philip II as he will soon inherit the power
which he will exercise over his father's Capilla Flamenca.
Lobo's famous funeral motet for Philip II hangs with lots of
suspended dissonances and moves with slow grandeur, while Isaac's
concluding Virgo Prudentissima builds a complex structure
from simple motives, maintaining its textual transparency at all times.
Not only are the performances magically blended, but the recording
captures this beautifully and weaves a web of sound around the listener,
whether it’s in stereo or surround. In short, very good indeed.
Simon Thompson
Track listing
Cristóbal de MORALES (c.1500-1553)
Jubilate Deo [5:49]
Thomas CRECQUILLON (c.1505-1557)
Andreas Christi famulus [5:54]
Thomas TALLIS (c.1505-1585)
Loquebantur variis linguis [4:15]
JOSQUIN des Prés (c.1440-1521)
Mille regretz [2:16]
Costanzo FESTA (c.1485/90-1545) attrib. Ludwig
SENFL (c.1486-c.1543)
Quis dabit oculis [7:00]
Nicolas GOMBERT (c.1495-c.1560)
Magnificat primi toni [11:48]
Pierre De La RUE (1460-1518)
Absalon fili mi [5:00]
Nicolas GOMBERT
Mille regretz [3:17]
Jacob CLEMENS Non Papa (c.1510 -c.1555)
Carole magnus eras [7:05]
Alonso LOBO (1555-1617)
Versa est in luctum [5:34]
Heinrich ISAAC (c.1450-1517)
Virgo prudentissima [13:11]
