Peter Philips

Review: The Allegri Miserere, probably the most famous piece of this period is usually coupled with other well known pieces. This recording has the advantage of including a couple of less-known, but stunning works (okay, the Palestrina is quite popular, but even so...). As usual, the Tallis Scholars give a polished performance. Altogether, it's a great recording,

Songlist: Miserere, Vox Patris caelestis, Missa Papae Marcelli, Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei I & II

Review: Recorded at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Norfolk, England, this collection of medieval carols, renaissance motets and German chorales by this English mixed ensemble is devout, harkening back to to a time centuries past. Performed with as much allegiance to the original forms as possible, these are simple arrangements, many of which would have been sung by the populus at large, in commemoration of religious occasions. Four settings of "Ave Maria," two attributed to Victoria and one to Des Pres among them, are represented; musically, this ubiquituous homage to the blessed Virgin was distinguished by variations in rhythm, texture and so forth. A peaceful and serene recording.

Songlist: Medieval Carols, Angelus ad Virginem, Nowell Sing We, There Is No Rose, Nowell: Dieu Vous Garde, Coventry Carol, Lullay: I saw, Lully, Lulla Thou Little Tiny Child, Lullaby by William Byrd, Settings Of Ave Maria, Ave Maria for four voices by Josquin Des Pres, Beata Es Virgo / Ave Maria for seven voices by Philippe Verdelot, For four voices attributed to Victoria, For double choir by Victoria, German Chorales, Es Ist Ein' Ros', Joseph Lieber, In Dulci Jubilo, Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme

Review: Haunting performances by the Tallis Scholars of music reflecting the dark and anguished emotions of Holy Week. As Easter music, this CD is a perfect addition to the St Matthew and St John Passions. - "Turning to the Tallis Scholars is a reminder of how supremely good Peter Phillips and his singers really are. It is like the move from an ordinary family car to a high-octane Ferrari, a magnificently honed machine in which every component functions superbly." (Gramophone)

Songlist: Lamentations I, Lamentations I, Lamentations II, Lamentations, Lamentations (5vv), Lamentations For Holy Saturday (Lesson 3, 6vv)

Review: The reputation of a composer of Palestrina's enormous output is necessarily based on a selection of his work. Since there have been no recordings, no offprints, no very accessible discussions of the Missa Benedicta es, it has been impossible for the work to become widely admired. It shows a side of Palestrina's writing which is not fully recognized: his indebtedness to Josquin. In addition, apart from its remarkable music, it has an important place in musical history. If ever it was thought necessary to prove that Palestrina early in his life gained much from coming under the influence of the great Franco-Flemish composers, this resplendent parody mass shows how important they were to him and how he could turn their idiom to his own ends. 25 years ago, Peter Phillips and The Tallis Scholars made their debut with this recording. To celebrate this milestone, Gimell offers this limited-edition budget priced reissue.

Songlist: Plainchant: Benedicta es, Benedicta es, Missa Benedicta es, Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei I & II, Missa Nasce la gioja mia, Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei I & II

Review: "Spem in alium" is one of the most remarkable pieces ever written. This forty-voice motet for eight five-part choirs has carefully constructed counterpoint in alternation with striking homophony. No one is certain of the reasons that led Tallis to write something so bold. The large number of choirs creates an amazing stereo-effect and, therefore, is often sung surrounding the audience. The remaining motets on this recording are no less astounding. His merits as a composer must be remembered, as he remained court composer, despite being Catholic, under the rule of Elizabeth I. As usual, the Tallis Scholars lend sheer beauty and clarity to this phenomenal music.

Songlist: Spem in alium, Sancte Deus, Salvator mundi, salva nos I, Salvator mundi, salva nos II, Gaude gloriosa, Miserere nostri, Loquebantur variis linguis

Review: Palestrina is the composer The Tallis Scholars have sung and recorded most frequently and this two discs set contains some of the best, in their view, recordings from the very first record they made commercially (in 1980), to one of the most recent. In general they have concentrated on his Mass settings not least because they make such effective concert music. Palestrina had an unusual ability to write positive, outward-going, major-key music which, over the length of a Mass-setting, is a great strength: penitential writing tends to be more effective in shorter bursts. Three of the four settings in this collection rely on bright sonorities; the fourth - Sicut lilium - is more subdued and sensuous, as the words of the motet require. The Missa Assumpta est Maria, based on his own motet of that name which in turn is based on a short phrase of chant, is a classic example of sonorous Palestrina, its excitement achieved in large part by doubling the sopranos and tenors. The brighter sound this high-scored six-voice (SSATTB) choir produces is then emphasized in the style of the writing, which is more chordal than usual. The parody motet Assumpta est Maria shows the way in its opening bars: the three upper voices are grouped against the three lower ones in easily audible antiphony. This late-Renaissance method is then transferred to the Mass, most obviously in the Gloria and Credo but also in the first Kyrie, where greater elaboration was more customary. The sheer verve of this music has ensured that, along with Papae Marcelli, Assumpta est Maria has remained the most performed of all Palestrina's 107 Mass-settings. The second disc opens with a six-voice (SSATTB) set of Lamentations, originally the third lesson on the Saturday of Holy Week. The Missa Brevis (for four voices SATB), although relatively 'short' and straightforward in musical style, shows Palestrina's idiom at its most accessible.

Songlist: Assumpta est Maria in caelum, Missa Assumpta est Maria in caelum, Sicut lilum iner spinas I, Missa Sicut inter spinas, Lamentations for Holy Saturday (Lesson 3, 6vv), Missa Brevis, Missa Papae Marcelli

Review: Gimell presents a new release in their popular 2-for-1 series featuring The Tallis Scholars, this time focusing on the Requiem Mass. Conductor Peter Phillips says of this sublime music, "From the split second that the opening Requiem aeternam chant is heard, every listener is inevitably transported. It is a classic instance of the power of music to communicate without reserve." Requiem is offered in a deluxe slipcase package, and includes a a 24 page booklet. This set offers 155 minutes of glorious listening, and would make a perfect gift for any fan of choral music.

Songlist: Introitus: Requiem aeternam, Kyrie, Graduale, Offertorium: Domine Iesu Christe, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei I, II & III, Communio: Lux aeterna, Responsory: Libera me, Versa est in luctum, Introitus, Kyrie, Graduale, Sequentia pro defunctis, Offertorium, Sanctus & Benedictus, Requiem for six voices, Communio: Lux aeterna, Responsorium pro defunctis, Introitus, Kyrie, Graduale, Offertorium, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei I, II & III, Communio, Responsorium: Libera me, Non mortui, Sitivit anima mea, Mulier quae erat, Nos autem gloriari, Versa est in luctum, Credo quod Redemptor, Vivo ego, dicit Dominus, Ave Maria

Review: The Flemish masters have been at the heart of The Tallis Scholars' repertoire from the beginning, just as they were at the heart of the whole Renaissance musical scene. Masses were the showcase works through which these composers displayed their most sophisticated achievements. This new Gimell 2-for-1 set features five of the greatest, from five of the greatest masters, Brumel, De Rore, Lassus, Ockeghem and Isaac, specially selected by conductor Peter Phillips.

Songlist: Missa De Apostolis, Missa Au Travail Sus, Missa Osculeture me for double choir, Missa Praeter rerum seriem, Missa Et ecce terrae motus