William Byrd, The Tallis Scholars - Playing Elizabeth's Tune: Sacred Music By William Byrd
STYLE: Choral RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9872- LABEL: Gimell GIMDP901 FORMAT: DVD Music video
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
The one sentence review is that this is excellent. The detailed review is impossible to write, as there is too much material included on this DVD to make much informed comment within my word allocation. So all I can do is tell you what is on offer and repeat that all is very well done. First we have Peter Phillips directing the Tallis Scholars in a 70-minute recital of the sacred music of William Byrd, Queen Elizabeth I's favourite composer, atmospherically filmed in candlelight at Tewkesbury Abbey. Visually and acoustically this is wonderful. Next is a BBC documentary presented by Charles Hazlewood exploring the life and times of Byrd and illustrated with more musical excerpts. And then we get the Tallis Scholars singing Byrd at Merton College Chapel, Oxford, as an audio bonus plus a generous package of other related items of interest. I spent a very happy evening listening, watching, reading and learning and I am sure that I have neither got to the bottom of this excellent DVD nor truly grasped the artistry of this great composer. And, let it be said, the Tallis Scholars do him full justice.
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