Search - Sheppard, Tallis Scholars, Phillips :: Media Vita

Every home should have one

Adrian Furse | U.K. | 01/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Tallis Scholars are famous for the quality of their recordings. This one is straight out of the top drawer. The singers bring out the amazing quality of the vocal lines, a hallmark of pre-reformation choral music in England. The record owes much to the musicological skill of Peter Phillips, and his predecessor with the Clerkes of Oxenford, David Wulstan, who through his reconstruction of the tenor part has made it possible for this beautiful music to be heard once again. Media Vita deserves to stand with the large scale works of other Tudor Composers, such as Tallis' Spem in Alium. I disagree with the amazon reviewer concerning the tempo of Media Vita. The scale of the work and its length need to be understood in its original liturgical context, namely as a piece of contemplative music, one where the beauty of the music transports the soul. In a sense getting lost in a world of sound is part of the point fo the piece. This disk from start to finish is an absolute triumph, and while not the most obvious choice as an entry into the world of Rennaisance choral music, is one that anyone should at least listen to if not buy, in order to be carried away by some of the finest choral music ever written."