COMPOSERS: Taverner/Tallis
LABELS: Classics for Pleasure
WORKS: The Western Wynde (Song and Mass); Missa salve intemerata virgo
PERFORMER: St John’s College Choir, Cambridge/George Guest
CATALOGUE NO: CDCFP 4654 DDD (1989)
Taverner’s Western Wynde Mass demonstrates his resourceful use of musical material and different vocal combinations, while Tallis’s Missa salve intemerata virgo shows its composer’s abounding talent for passionately expressive text setting. The St John’s College Choir under the guidance of George Guest is ideally suited to this repertoire, and its portrayal of the music’s rich textural and rhythmic variety is warm and sensitive. The raw-edged treble sound may be too strident for some tastes, but it certainly gives these performances a powerful and engaging vitality. Nicholas Rast
Taverner/Tallis
Taverner’s Western Wynde Mass demonstrates his resourceful use of musical material and different vocal combinations, while Tallis’s Missa salve intemerata virgo shows its composer’s abounding talent for passionately expressive text setting. The St John’s College Choir under the guidance of George Guest is ideally suited to this repertoire, and its portrayal of the music’s rich textural and rhythmic variety is warm and sensitive. The raw-edged treble sound may be too strident for some tastes, but it certainly gives these performances a powerful and engaging vitality. Nicholas Rast
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:33 pm