Search - The Tallis Scholars, Orlando di Lassus, Thomas Tallis :: Silver

A beautiful collection of their classics - a wonderful buy.

Maureen W. Vavra | San Francisco, Calif. | 11/30/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of Renaissance sacred choral music is just wonderful. The fine voices are enhanced by the acoustics in the Merton College Chapel, Oxford. The 2 CD set plays over 2 1/2 hours of Latin polyphony, from the Allegri "Miserere" to beautiful selections by Clemens, Lassus, Tallis, Byrd and others. It is a rare kind of music, both inspiring and calming. The 15 year old and the 50 year old in the family each own a copy."

A wonderful collection

Mark Swinton | 08/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For me, the Tallis Scholars are probably the finest early music choir in England today. Though the reason for the release of this double CD - their 25th anniversary - has long since passed, it is still worth having in any early music collection, especially if you have never purchased a Tallis Scholars record before.With so much material to their credit, recorded over many years, Peter Phillips must have had quite a few headaches over which tracks to include. He has opted to present two programmes: disc one opens with the award-winning 1980 recording of the Allegri "Miserere" and goes on to explore Palestrina and masters of Franco-Flemish polyphony, including Josquin and Brunel. Disc two features Renaissance music from England, including works by William Cornysh, John Sheppard, and of course Thomas Tallis. It ends with a stunning rendition of William Byrd's "Mass for Five Voices." Needlessly to say, there are many other gems from the choir's discography that do not appear: "Spem in alium," "Nine Tunes for Archbishop Parker's Psalter," the Sarum "Missa in gallicantu," John Tavener's "Ikon of Light" or any of the Russian motet recordings made in collaboration with him. Nonetheless, the collection is still superb, reflecting the choir's diversity and Peter Phillip's inspired direction.There are just too many items on this disc to review in their entirety, and in a way it is impossible to single out any particular 'highlight,' although I have to say that items I constantly find myself listening to are the twelve-part Brunel "Gloria" and the Palestrina "Sicut lilium" from disc one, and the Tallis "O Nata Lux," and Cornysh "Ah, Robin! Gentle Robin" from disc two.Here is some two hours' worth of solid singing, with all the hallmarks one could expect from the Tallis Scholars (represented in their entirety owing to the sampling from several recordings, recent and otherwise). As Phillips muses in the notes, it is staggering to think that what started out as a tiny student-run chamber choir at Oxford University has turned into an award-winning, internationally acclaimed ensemble. Yet, the results are undeniable. There are many specialist early music groups in England - The Sixteen, The Cardinall's Musick, The Monteverdi Choir and many others besides. Fundamentally, however, I believe the Tallis Scholars shine brighter than any of them, and those who doubt it even for an instant should try this wonderful collection. This is music making of the highest standard and I cannot recommend it enough."

Outstanding selection of Tallis Scholars repertoire examples

Concert Music | Alpharetta, GA USA | 02/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is the definitive Tallis Scholars sampler if one is interested in hearing a varied cross-section of their superb repertoire. The major difference between this collection and the Best of the Renaissance CD is the fact that this CD includes works from no less than 14 composers, and still includes a whole Mass (Byrd's Mass for Five Voices)!Starting with the opening piece of CD 1, Allegri's Miserere, the other pieces will open to the listener the world of continental Renaissance polyphony - Josquin's Praeter rerum seriem is marvelous, Clemens non Papa weighs in with 2 wondrous pieces, and Brumel's Gloria might rearrange some brain cells if not digested with care - 12 voices! The second CD is even better (but I am partial to the English school), and Sheppard's Media vita is a masterpiece - it alone makes this collection worth the money! Hearing a fairly rare work from Robert White is also of interest, and the short love song Ah, Robin by Cornysh the Younger is very moving indeed!If you're unfamiliar with the Tallis Scholars Renaissance music, please listen to this CD. If you're already hooked, please listen to this CD again - the arrangement of the pieces make it a pleasure, even if you know most of these works!"