The Whole Music Experience

Classical/Early   Stile Antico The Phoenix Rising   Harmonia Mundi The Phoenix Rising marks the fourth (of seven) recording I have reviewed by the English early music choir, Stile Antico.   I enjoy listening to performances by these critically-acclaimed young vocalists, who like Seattle’s Tudor Choir focus on English composers of the Tudor period or at least they do on this recording.   The main feature of this program revolves around William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices which is interspersed with polyphonic compositions by Byrd’s contemporaries including Robert White, Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Tallis, Thomas Morley and the final piece by John Taverner ( O Splendor gloriae ).   Besides, Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices , the vocalists also perform Byrd’s well-loved Ave verum corpus which opens the recording--sounds marvelous. Although this work comes from a dark period in English history, the Christian Reformation, and the text focuses on Chris...

Stile Antico Passion and Resurrection Harmonia Mundi Stile Antico represents young English vocalists who specialize in renaissance church composers and these vocalists do this quite well.   Every vocalist in the choir possesses an exquisite voice, from hearty altos, to clear-razor sharp sopranos, intense basses and baritones to tenors that rival the famous Irish tenors.   The choir mostly performs the works of English renaissance composers, and similar to another favorite of mine, The Tudor Choir (Seattle), Stile Antico perform the works of Thomas Tallis, whose O Sacrum Convivium appears as track 3.   Those of you familiar with renaissance church composers will recognize John Taverner, William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons also of England.   Rounding off the composers, the vocalists brought in works by three Spanish composers and three Flemish composers with pan-continental styles.   One modern chant by John McCabe (his first recording) is set ...

Stile Antico Puer natus est Tudor Music for Advent and Christmas Harmonia Mundi It’s the first week of September and I’m not dreaming about the Christmas holiday. In fact, I’m clinging to the last embers of summer so why would I review 2 Christmas music albums (see the Anonymous 4 review below), this month?  Puer natus est is the second Stile Antico album I’ve heard, Song of Songs was the first. Again the young English choir sings with razor-sharp intonation and the soprano vocals possessing bell-like clarity, grounded by the tenors, baritones, basses, and altos. Stile Antico isn’t the first young early music choir I’ve heard that performs Thomas Tallis sacred works or Catholic Church music of the Tudor period (English Tudor kings and queens reign).  The Tudor Choir of Seattle can boast the same claim. And both choirs provide their audiences with compelling and stunningly beautiful programs. Certainly someone could listen to this sacred music with a rel...

Stile Antico Song of Songs Harmonia Mundi It's hard for many folks to imagine the Bible as literary text, much less containing erotic passages. It's even harder for some religious people, mystics excluded, to conceive of any sensuality coming from the Big Book. Yet, The Song of Songs , composed by King Solomon, reads as erotic text for some, and for others, as Marian text. During the European Renaissance, several esteemed composers, set this erotic poem to polyphonic church music. The list of composers included, Palestrina, Gombert, Clemens, Victoria and others. The emerging English Early Music choir, Stile Antico performs work of many of these composers' interpretation of The Song of Songs . As I'm writing this review, I'm suffering from a migraine, not to mention, stress from having to re-type this blog entry. In the past, I was able to heal migraines while listening to renaissance polyphony. I'm hoping I will achieve the same results listen...