Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.
Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.
Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor), Alison Stamp (soprano), Jane Armstrong (soprano), Michael Chance (countertenor), Julian Walker (bass)» More |
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor), Deborah Roberts (soprano), Sally Dunkley (soprano), Caroline Trevor (alto), Donald Greig (baritone), Andrew Carwood (tenor)» More |
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor), Deborah Roberts (soprano), Sally Dunkley (soprano), Caroline Trevor (alto), Donald Greig (baritone), Andrew Carwood (tenor) This recording is not available for download» More |
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor), Alison Stamp (soprano), Jane Armstrong (soprano), Michael Chance (countertenor), Julian Walker (bass) This recording is not available for download» More |
The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips (conductor), Deborah Roberts (soprano)» More |
Jeremy Budd (treble), Nicholas Thompson (treble), Wilfrid Swansborough (countertenor), Timothy Jones (bass), St Paul's Cathedral Choir, John Scott (conductor)» More |
Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O'Donnell (conductor)» More |
The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (conductor), Caroline Ashton (soprano), Karen Kerslake (soprano), Patrick Craig (countertenor), Charles Pott (bass)» More |
Caroline Ashton (soprano), Karen Kerslake (soprano), Patrick Craig (countertenor), Charles Pott (bass), The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter (conductor)» More |
Tenebrae, Nigel Short (conductor)» More |
Armonico Consort, Christopher Monks (conductor)» More |
Temple Church Choir, James Vivian (conductor)» More |
St John's College Choir Cambridge, Andrew Nethsingha (conductor), Lewis Cobb (treble), Alfred Harrison (treble), Harry L'Estrange (treble), Thomas Watkin (treble), Hugh Cutting (countertenor), Oliver Morris (bass)» More |
Regardless of its authenticity (if such a thing can be said to exist) the magic of the piece relies on the juxtaposition of the original falsobordone written by Allegri with the ornaments or abbellimenti added in the solo writing and the plangent tones of the plainsong verses (sung to the chant ‘Tonus Peregrinus’ which is quoted in the topmost voice of Allegri’s original). The biggest debate rages about the famous high ‘C’. It can be said with some certainty that a composer of Allegri’s generation and education would be highly unlikely to write the ungainly interval of an augmented fourth in the bass part in the solo section. Yet only with this interval does the top ‘C’ become possible and the top ‘C’ is now the sine qua non for the listener! Contemporary taste and bravura must have played a part in the ornaments that singers chose to use when improvising in the Papal Chapel and the ornaments heard by the young Mozart could have been a world away from the version sung by Allegri’s own choir in the early seventeenth century. Perhaps they found a way of embellishing up to top ‘C’ without the unacceptable harmonic shift, a shift which although ‘breaking the rules’ sounds to our modern ears unremarkable.
from notes by Andrew Carwood © 2011
La question de son authenticité mise à part (pour autant qu’une telle chose puisse exister), le Miserere voit sa magie reposer sur la juxtaposition du falsobordone original d’Allegri, des ornements ou abbellimenti ajoutés dans l’écriture solo et des tons plaintifs des versets en plain-chant (chantés sur le «Tonus Peregrinus» cité à la voix supérieure de l’original d’Allegri). Mais le plus grand débat concerne le fameux «contre-ut». On peut presque affirmer qu’un compositeur de la génération et de l’éducation d’Allegri n’aurait très probablement jamais disposé un disgracieux intervalle de quarte augmentée dans la partie de basse de la section solo. Pourtant, c’est précisément cet intervalle qui rend le «contre-ut» possible, lequel «contre-ut» est désormais incontournable pour les auditeurs! Les goûts et la bravoure de chaque époque ont dû influencer les ornements choisis par les chanteurs au moment d’improviser dans la Chapelle papale et ceux entendus par le jeune Mozart étaient peut-être à des lieues de ceux interprétés par le chœur d’Allegri, au début du XVIIe siècle. Peut-être réussissait-on alors à embellir jusqu’à un «contre-ut» sans cette inacceptable transition harmonique qui paraît quelconque à nos oreilles modernes.
extrait des notes rédigées par Andrew Carwood © 2011
Français: Hypérion
Von der Authentizität (wenn es so etwas überhaupt gibt) einmal abgesehen, ergibt sich der Zauber des Stücks durch die Gegenüberstellung des ursprünglichen, von Allegri komponierten falsobordone mit den Ornamenten, oder abbellimenti, die in den Solopassagen und den getragenen Tönen der Cantus-planus-Verse (die zu dem „Tonus Peregrinus“ erklingen, der in der obersten Stimme von Allegris Original erscheint) auftreten. Am kontroversesten ist jedoch das berühmte hohe „C“. Man kann mit einiger Sicherheit sagen, dass ein Komponist der Generation und Ausbildung Allegris höchstwahrscheinlich nicht das unelegante Intervall einer übermäßigen Quarte in die Bassstimme eines Soloabschnitts gesetzt hätte. Doch wird das hohe „C“ nur mit diesem Intervall möglich, und dieses hohe „C“ ist für den heutigen Hörer das sine qua non! Zeitgenössischer Geschmack und Bravour müssen für die Sänger bei der Wahl der Ornamente eine Rolle gespielt haben, wenn sie in der Päpstlichen Kapelle improvisierten. Die Verzierungen, die der junge Mozart hörte, können demnach völlig unterschiedlich zu denen gewesen sein, die von Allegris eigenem Chor im frühen 17. Jahrhundert gesungen wurden. Möglicherweise fanden sie eine Lösung, wie sie das hohe „C“ in ihre Verzierungen einflechten konnten, ohne dabei den unzulässigen harmonischen Übergang stattfinden zu lassen, der für unsere Ohren heutzutage unauffällig klingt.
aus dem Begleittext von Andrew Carwood © 2011
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel
Allegri: Miserere; Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli; Mundy: Vox Patris caelestis Chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of the 50 Greatest Recordings of all time and widely regarded as the finest recording of Allegri's Miserere, this landmark recording made in Merton College Chapel, Oxford, set new standards for the performance a ...» More |
A banquet of voices "Revisiting this 1993 Cambridge Singers recording, I realize I should never have withdrawn it from the Collegium catalogue—and all because of an obscure musicological question in my mind over a Gregorian chant, long since resolved. We assembled a ...» More |
A Festival of Psalms An exploration of the themes conveyed by the Old Testament—strife and joy, prayer and praise—as interpreted by composers over the course of four and a half centuries—with music by Allegri, Bernstein, Byrd, Parry, Purcell and Wesley» More |
Allegri: Miserere Allegri's haunting Miserere is the central point in a journey through music of longing and entreaty, hope and faith. These works spanning the centuries are chosen from the heart of Tenebrae's concert repertoire. The present album contains works by ...» More |
Allegri: Miserere; Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli Music written for the Sistine Chapel, including two new recordings of Allegri's Miserere—one with the familiar top Cs, and one with additional embellishments developed by Deborah Roberts during hundreds of concert performances by The Tallis Schola ...» More |
Allegri: Miserere; Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli; Mundy: Vox Patris caelestis Chosen by BBC Music Magazine as one of the 50 Greatest Recordings of all time and widely regarded as the finest recording of Allegri's Miserere, this landmark recording made in Merton College Chapel, Oxford, set new standards for the performance a ...» More |
Ash Wednesday For many years now, Choral Evensong on Ash Wednesday has held a particularly cherished place in the life of St John’s College Chapel. In this recording of Evensong, a rite which forms part of the daily round of worship offered at St John’s, ancien ...» More |
Exultate Deo ‘The answer to many prayers; a blockbusting survey of choral masterpieces performed by a choir of exceptional calibre’ (Classic FM Magazine) ‘For anyone eager to sample varied music from the Golden Age of polyphony this is a perfect disc’ (Classic CD)» More |
Hear my prayer This recording features St Paul’s Cathedral Choir at the peak of their power, performing a yearning sequence of liturgical works that includes some of the best-loved choral works of all time: Mendelssohn’s ‘Hear my prayer’ (‘O for the wings of a d ...» More |
Naked Byrd, Vol. 1 Crossing several centuries, from the sixteenth to the present day this album displays how every generation has been inspired to use both sacred and secular music as a powerful medium to express their personal emotions.» More |
Sacred Music in the Renaissance, Vol. 1 The first of three volumes featuring The Tallis Scholars' finest recordings, one for each decade, and each offering over five hours of the award-winning performances that helped establish Renaissance Polyphony as one of the great repertoires of we ...» More |
Stillness and Sweet Harmony This is music to bring peace. From the wealth of music spanning over ten centuries recorded by the Cambridge Singers, John Rutter has selected fifteen serene and tranquil tracks from Collegium albums.» More |
The Essential Tallis Scholars "I am delighted to recommend this selection from our recordings. It is an excellent introduction to our work and to Renaissance music in general." (Peter Phillips)» More |
The Music of St Paul's Cathedral 'An awe-inspiring sound' (Classic FM Magazine) 'This is a worthy Millennium tribute to the musicians of St Paul’s. A disc to treasure' (Organists' Review)» More |
The Tallis Scholars Live in Rome Peter Phillips directs The Tallis Scholars in the historic concert celebrating Palestrina's 400th anniversary, recorded in the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore where the composer sang as a choirboy and later became maestro di cappella.» More |
Allegri: Miserere; Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli The Pure Audio Blu-ray pack includes one Blu-ray disc, one standard Compact Disc and a 24-page printed booklet with notes, texts and translation. Music written for the Sistine Chapel, including two new recordings of Allegri's Miserere—one with the ...» More |
The Tallis Scholars Live in Rome PAL FORMAT DVD. Peter Phillips directs The Tallis Scholars in the historic concert celebrating Palestrina's 400th anniversary, filmed in the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore where the composer sang as a choirboy and later became maestro di c ...» More |