Search - Rutter, Cambridge Singers :: Flora Gave Me Fairest Flowers: English Madrigals

Crisp, choral perfection

reviewer in Down East Maine | Lamoine, Maine United States | 10/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a delightful sampling of the popular English madrigals you sang in high school or college choirs. Rutter and the Cambridge Singers are superb, running spirited romps through Byrd's "Though Amaryllis dance in green" and Eastman's "Quick, quick, away dispatch." Equally impressive are Wilbye's expressive and mournful "Weep mine eyes" and "Adieu, sweet Amaryllis." The women's voices are light and crystalline without heavy vibrato."

Best English Madrigal recording ever

Bruce F. Fairley | Golden, B.C. Canada | 09/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have sung in one madrigal choir and formed and directed my own madrigal ensemble, so I am familiar with most of the selections in this recording. It is difficult to bring off some of these pieces as listening music, since many of them were written to be enjoyed as recreational music for the performers, and not for consumption by an audience. Still, with the incredible clarity and musicality displayed in this recording, you would never know that - the recording succeeds brilliantly in conveying the spirit of the English madrigal. Most other madrigal records sound as if the producer rounded up a bunch of operatic soloists and asked them to compete with each other to see which could stick out the most. The Cambridge Singers, in contrast, sound like a madrigal ensemble should - beautifully blended, with each part showing great sensitivity to surrending the melodic interest to the next when the moment arises. At the same time, if you are interested in following the individual lines, this recording enables you to do so with ease. The quality of the voices is wonderful - there is a complete lack of pretentiousness and the timbre of each voice accords nicely within the ensemble to achieve a lovely balance. This is by far the best recording of English madrigals on the market - at last a madrigal recording with the needs of the listener in mind, rather than the performers! As one who has sung many of these pieces on many occasions, I found myself completely rethinking the performance quality of such pieces as "Hark All Ye Lovely Saints Above." Also, the tempos are pretty much perfect, my only quarrel being with the tempo of the signature tune "Flora Gave me Fairest Flowers" which seems a bit slow. My one regret is the ommission of Orlando Gibbons "What is Our Life?", perhaps the most extended duet between words and music in the English madrigal. Perhaps Rutter and the Cambridge Singers should get together again and do a volume II!"