'This is mature if not sensational playing that brings the music to life with interpretations that will hold up very well over time' (Classics Today)» More
'These are intelligent but natural accounts of the unfairly neglected music, in which any points the players are out to make are about the music and not themselves' (Gramophone)
'[Walter Reiter ] plays with real ardor and gusto. This is exemplary for showing what can be done with a baroque violin, some fine continuo players, and plenty of spunk' (The American Guide, USA)» More
'Alison Crum and Laurence Cummings have created one of the most simply charming recordings of these works for viola da gamba and harpsichord that I know: their playing is sweet, relaxed and precise rhythmically. The viola da gamba sound is carefully nuanced, and Laurence Cummings's beautifully recorded harpsichord is exuberant' (Fanfare, USA)» More
'The singing is of great distinction. All of these works have been recorded, some of them only once before, but the systematic organisation of this complete set is an advantage in understanding and appreciating their place and purpose' (Goldberg)» More
'Everyone should have a recording, and this one is excellent … the sound is finely honed and balanced, in the British tradition, and thus very easy on the ear … I should add that the mass is performed 'liturgically', with plainchant appropriate to its cantus firmus, from the third Mass of Christmas; an added bonus. This is wonderful music, wonderfully sung' (Organists' Review)» More
'Vocal quality is more consistent, entries are far more confident, lines more assertively shaped … you may well find that it is not just the musicians who are on better form here: Tallis himself seems far happier in the syllabic, concisely imitative idiom of these pieces than in the note-spinning, earlier post-Eton Choirbook style of the votive antiphons' (Gramophone)
'The first album in this series devoted to the complete works of Tallis concentrates on his early sacred music, including the antiphon Salve intermerata—one of his finest youthful works—and the Mass derived from it The Chapelle du Roi is a choir of just ten young singers, and these intimate performances approximate the sound that Tallis might have heard during the early years of his career, though with female sopranos replacing boy trebles. These are fresh, unaffected accounts, using the predominately slow tempi that seem to have been prevalent in sacred music for this period. Despite one of two rough edges in the more exposed passages for single voices, the standard of singing is exceptionally high. What's more, the project has been diligently planned and researched, with several of the pieces newly edited for performance, and excellent notes by Nicholas Sandon. The Chapelle du Roi will be an unfamiliar name to many people, but the quality of this album will surely put these talented performers on the musical map' (BBC Music Magazine)» More
‘It is hard to think of a record label having had a more auspicious debut or one that so clearly forecast what was to come over the next decade, in terms of both repertory and performance quality … the performance already shows most of the qualities we associate with The Tallis Scholars: springy rhythms, marvellously bright and transparent textures in which all six voices are easily heard, fine tuning and—most important—a fluidity of tempo that keeps the music constantly alive’ (Gramophone)
PERFORMANCE
