Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

The five members of Tenebrae Consort have been selected from the members of the larger Tenebrae chamber choir for their musicianship and particularly for the way in which their voices blend. This is typical of Artistic Director Nigel Short's obsessive attention to detail and the results can clearly be heard in this recital. The acoustic at All Hallows Church at Gospel Oak in London is outstanding and one can almost imagine that we are there with the Consort as the audio clarity is so good. Focussing on the repertoire originally written for consort performance, particularly early music, Tenebrae Consort aim to shed new interpretative light on works and with a combination of passion and precision create an intimate concert experience. This new recording draws on the Salisbury Cathedral tradition, renowned for its ritual excellence, observation and performance in the centuries before the Reformation. Compline, sung during Holy Week, is enhanced with Thomas Tallis's "Lamentations": some of the most poignant and intense polyphonic settings of sacred texts used in Passiontide. These settings for five lower voices prove not only the depth of Tallis's devotion to the "old faith" and the Roman Catholic rites but also his mastery of the polyphonic art, and cement his rightful place as one of the greatest composers of the English Renaissance. Whether you enjoy plainchant, medieval church music, or appreciate fine singing you will want to hear this.

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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