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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Sheppard - Media vitaPerforming editions reconstructed and prepared by members of Stile Antico
For its fourth recording, Stile Antico spotlights the work of a neglected Tudor master: John Sheppard. The programme displays his genius across the range of genres in which he composed, including Catholic liturgical responds and hymns alongside simple English-texted anthems written in the reign of Edward VI. As its centerpiece, the great antiphon 'Media Vita' is a reflection on the frailty of human life and the hope for salvation. Stile Antico is an ensemble of young British singers, now established as one of the most original and exciting new voices in its field. Prizewinners at the 2005 Early Music Network International Young Artists' Competition, the group is much in demand in concert, performing regularly throughout Europe and North America.The group's most recent release, Song of Songs, won the 2009 Gramophone Award for Early Music and reached the top of the US Classical Chart. Notable engagements in the 2009-10 season include a New York debut in the Music before 1800 series, appearances in the Spitalfields, Rheingau, Barcelona and Al-Bustan Festivals, and performances in France, Belgium and Estonia. "Stile Antico is hot property nowadays and was hardly likely to turn down a gig at York - it was through taking part in the Young Artists Competition a few years ago that they got their break. ..Spanning more than two centuries of music, it was a programme of works by composers aware of their own mortality. …The highlight of the concert was John Sheppard's Media vita, a vast work, which was beautifully paced by the group - another motet that mirrored the great arching roof of York Minster's chapter house particularly well. This was a wonderfully homogenous sound: the ensemble sings through the phrases in such a way that gives direction while never appearing rushed." Early Music Today “Stile Antico's recording has many attractive qualities. The first of these is a very lovely alto blend, which remains a constant in a programme that contrasts Sheppard's ecstatic Latin polyphony with the quiet simplicity of his English motets” The Independent on Sunday, 3rd January 2010 “Their purity of sound, with a fullness achieved by only 14 voices, reveals Sheppard's rich counterpoint. Despite this extraordinary finesse there's no self-conscious beauty, only intelligent, vital simplicity.” The Observer, 10th January 2010 “The qualities which have earned Stile Antico international acclaim are intact: a glorious euphony, muscular line and nuanced dynamics illuminate the majesty of Sheppard's music...For listeners who revel in the beauty of English Renaissance polyphony, this disc is nothing short of perfect.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2010 **** “Whether the music be simple or complex, Stile Antico have the measure of it. Excellent!” Gramophone Magazine, May 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Sheppard - 'The Western Wynde' Massand other sacred choral music
“This set centres round one of Sheppard's bestknown four-part Masses, The Western Wynde.
Though largely syllabic in style, in accordance with liturgical prescriptions at a time when taste in church music was turning towards ever greater emphasis on the text, this Mass still has moments that recapture the earlier visionary style in all its wonder. The section 'Et incarnatus est', coming after an amazing cadence at 'descendit de coelis' in the Credo, is a case in point. 'Pleni sunt coeli' is another, and also the opening of the Benedictus, where the melody unfolds unhurriedly over the delicate counterpoint of the mean and the bass. In such passages The Sixteen is in its element, each singer relating to the others with the intimacy and mutual understanding of performers of chamber music.
The supporting programme includes alternatim hymn settings, responsories and a Te Deum.
In all these the chant is sung with excellent phrasing and a smooth legato. Some subtle repercussions in the intonation to Dum transissetSabbatum are particularly pleasing.
In all five pieces, though, the tempo of the chant sections bore little relationship to the polyphony – the least far removed being that of the hymn Aeterne Rex altissime, where the individual chant notes had roughly the duration of a half-beat of the polyphony. The English Magnificatand Nunc dimittis reveal Sheppard fully conforming to the later syllabic style in a rich and joyful texture. Here, and in the Latin TeDeum The Sixteen display to the full their glowing vocal qualities. This is wonderful singing, with a sense of freedom and flow that's almost overpowering.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | The Golden Age of English Polyphony
Fayrfax: | Aeternae Laudis Lilium Missa Albanus | Mundy, W: | O Lord, the maker of all things Videte miraculum Sive vigilem Ah, helpless wretch Vox Patris caelestis Kyrie ‘Orbis factor’ O Lord, the world's Saviour Magnificat Nunc dimittis The secret sins Beatus et sanctus Adolescentulus sum ego | Sheppard, J: | Cantate Mass Salvator mundi Domine Verbum caro factum est Laudem dicite Deo Reges Tharsis et insulae In manus tuas I Filiae Hierusalem venite In pace in idipsum Paschal Kyrie Jesu salvator saeculi, verbum Mass 'The Western Wynde' The Second Service Te Deum laudamus Spiritus sanctus I Justi in perpetuum vivent Libera nos 1 & II Audivi vocem de caelo Deus tuorum militum I Ave maris stella Jesu salvator saeculi, redemptis Spiritus Sanctus procedens II Beata nobis gaudia In manus tuas II Gaude gaude gaude Maria Haec dies quam fecit Dominus Impetum fecerunt unanimes Dum transisset Sabbatum I Sancte Dei pretiose Sacris solemniis Hostes Herodes impie Dum transisset Sabbatum II In manus tuas III Aeterne Rex altissime | Taverner: | Archangeli Michaelis Interventione Kyrie 'Le Roy' Missa O Michael Dum transisset Sabbatum I Gaude plurimum Ex eius tumba Missa Corona Spinea In pace, in idipsum O splendor gloriae Te Deum Alleluia. Veni, electa mea Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas In nomine a 4 Audivi vocem de coelo Dum transisset Sabbatum II Hodie nobis caelorum rex Mater Christi Sanctissima Magnificat a 4 - Nesciens mater Quemadmodum a 6 Missa Mater Christi sanctissima Mass 'The Western Wynde' O Wilhelme, pastor bone Missa Sancti Wilhelmi 'Small Devotion Mass' |
When The Sixteen embarked upon their recording career back in 1982, few would have been able to predict quite how successful they would become, or how far they would go towards rehabilitating the little-known and barely recorded music of these four master composers of the sixteenth century. In this their 30th anniversary year, we join them in celebrating a Golden Age of Polyphony, and of music-making, by presenting their twelve discs of this repertoire in an attractively packaged (and priced) 10-CD remastered set. “English choral music at its finest.” The Observer, 29th November 2009 | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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