Full of strikingly sensuous passages, both literary and musical, Magnificat’s one-voice-per-part performance allows Da Palestrina’s music to speak with clarity and intimacy - a carefully considered balance of poise and passion.
Originally released in 2001, ‘Da Palestrina: Song of Songs’ has been re-issued as part of Linn’s ECHO series which offers a second chance to enjoy the best of the label’s award-winning catalogue.
No ordinary collection of motets, the Song of Songs sets the most sensual and openly erotic sections of the Old Testament which led Da Palestrina to employ ‘a style of music a little more lively than normally used in other sacred compositions’.
Magnificat is one of the world’s premier vocal ensembles whose recordings have met with huge critical acclaim: Spem in alium was hailed as ‘quite the best performance of Tallis's 40-part Spem in alium that I have heard' by Gramophone and was ‘First Choice’ in Building A Library on BBC Radio 3's CD Review. In addition Victoria’s Officium Defunctorum was named ‘Critics’ Choice’ by Gramophone and chosen by The Rough Guide as one of its ‘100 Essential Classical CDs’.
Directed by Philip Cave, Magnificat specialises in the restoration and performance of neglected choral masterpieces of the 16th and 17th centuries.
In association with Linn Records, Magnificat has undertaken many highly successful recording projects of music from ‘The Golden Age’, including works by Gesualdo, Guerrero, des Prez, Rebelo, Victoria, Allegri, Tallis and Da Palestrina, as well as Latin sacred music by Robert Parsons, Robert White and William Byrd and two recordings to commemorate the 450th anniversary of composer Philippe Rogier.
