Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

"As a signet of an emerald in a work of gold: so is the melody of music with pleasant and moderate wine" is a quotation from Ecclesiasticus that the Elizabethan scholar and bibliophile Robert Dow added to the compositions that he copied into the pages of the partbooks that now bear his name. For its second Delphian recording, The Marian Consort have leafed through the beautifully calligraphed pages of the partbooks to present a deeply satisfying sequence of some of their brightest jewels. Sumptuous motets, melancholy consort songs and intricate, harmonically daring viol fantasies are seamlessly interwoven, all brought to life by seven voices and the robust plangency of the Rose Consort of Viols in the chapel of All Souls College, Oxford - where Dow himself was once a Fellow. The Marian Consort is a young, dynamic early music vocal ensemble founded in Oxford in 2007. Combining academic insight with high levels of performance practice, the ensemble predominantly explores the repertoire of Renaissance and early Baroque music with its director Rory McCleery. They are joined by the Rose Consort of Viols, which takes its name from the celebrated family of viol makers, whose work spanned the development of the English consort repertoire. The music is intricate but rewards careful listening and we cannot praise the skill of the singers highly enough; even if Tudor music is not your preferred listening anyone who appreciates fine choral singing will applaud this album and producer/engineer Paul Baxter has done an excellent job. If you like Tudor music this is an easy recommendation and if you are new to the genre the big names are present and correct: William Byrd gives us "O Lord, How Vain" and "La Verginella" and Thomas Tallis is represented by "O Salutaris Hosta". We also have contributions from William Munday, Robert Parsons, Nicholas Strogers, Christopher Tye and others that together gives us a generous 72 minutes of enjoyable music. True, this may be a little too specialised for those new to Tudor music but if you have made a start this is worth seeking out.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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