Search - Manuel Cardoso, Philippe Herreweghe, Ensemble Vocal Europeen :: Cardoso: Missa Miserere Mihi Domine/Magnificat

This disc presents a marvelous example of late-Renaissance music by the Portuguese monk Frei Manuel Cardoso, widely loved and admired in his day. Cardoso's music in general sounds similar to that of Palestrina or Victoria, but with the occasional surprising chromatic touch (particularly in his motets). The six-voice Missa miserere mihi Domine, based on a single chant melody sung in long note values in one voice (a technique that had become archaic by Cardoso's day), has beautiful melodies and an uncommon sweetness; the five-voice Magnificat alternates polyphonically--set verses with plainchant--and features a striking central section for sopranos and tenor and a rich ending for six voices. Herreweghe's ensemble, using daringly slow tempos, gives Cardoso's music a suitably luminous performance. --Matthew Westphal