Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Holy Week is announced with an anonymous plainsong, “Hosanna Filio David”. The remaining 78 minutes of this recording are by Palestrina and demonstrate why his contemporaries revered him. As befits the subject matter, much of the music is solemn, such as the Palm Sunday Offertory “Improperium” that anticipates the dreadful events to follow. There are two settings for the Institution of the Eucharist, both reverent, both sung with dignity and restraint. The centrepiece is the “Stabat Mater” for double choir that moves from suffering to hope and may well break your heart. Having taken us to the depths, Palestrina looks upwards to celebrate the Resurrection but, for this reviewer, the heights are not as glorious as the depths, at least on a musical level. The theology is, praise be, another matter entirely. This is a magnificent recording and the Cardinall’s Musick bring in a superlative performance.

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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