COMPOSERS: Victoria
LABELS: Regis
WORKS: Lamentations; Missa Salve regina; Motets
PERFORMER: The Sixteen/Harry Christophers
CATALOGUE NO: RRC 2027 Reissue
Those who missed The Sixteen’s critically acclaimed recordings of Victoria’s choral music when they were first released should snap up this bargain reissue.
Christophers’s choir illuminates the Marian devotions beautifully on the first disc, shaping the rich harmonies and lively rhythms of pieces such as the Missa Salve regina, the eight-part Magnificat and ‘Regina coeli’ with pleasing artistic refinement and stylistic flair.
The Sixteen’s sustained and concentrated focus in the Mystery of the Cross vividly conveys the more reflective spiritual tone of Victoria’s Lamentations. The mixture of poise and expressive urgency with which they transmit the Passion story is truly inspiring. Nicholas Rast