Search - Thomas Tallis, David Hill, Timothy Byram-Wigfield :: Tallis:Spem in alium

Thomas Tallis, David Hill, Timothy Byram-Wigfield
Tallis:Spem in alium
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
1. O salutaris hostia
2. In ieiunio et fletu
3. Salvator mundi (I)
4. In manus tuas Domine
5. Salvator mundi (II)
6. The Lamentations of Jeremiah (I)
7. O sacrum convivium
8. O nata lux de lumine
9. Te lucis ante terminum
10. The Lamentations of Jeremiah (II)
11. Spem in alium

CD Details

All Artists: Thomas Tallis, David Hill, Timothy Byram-Wigfield, Winchester Cathedral Choir
Title: Tallis:Spem in alium
Members Wishing: 3
Total Copies: 0
Label: Hyperion UK
Release Date: 11/16/1993
Album Type: Import
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 034571164007

Synopsis

Amazon.com

This recording has a huge advantage over most of its rivals for the attention of Tallis listeners: the wonderful acoustics of Winchester Cathedral. In this magnificent space, the soaring lines and resplendent harmonies of Tallis's greatest masterpieces find sympathetic resonance, resulting in a heightened dramatic presence that takes the music beyond earthly confines. Of course, beyond the exceptional quality of the writing, credit must go to the phenomenal men and boys of Winchester Cathedral Choir. Where, even in England, does one find trebles who sing with more assuredness, musicality, and beauty of tone? With a repertoire including "In ieiunio et fletu," "Salvator mundi," "In manus tuas," "The Lamentations of Jeremiah," "O nata lux," and the unbelievable 40-part motet "Spem in alium," this is the Tallis disc to own if you're buying only one. --David Vernier

CD Reviews

The perfect Tallis record

Mark Swinton | 04/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ultimately, this disc has two things going for it. Firstly, it is a treasure trove of Tallis' finest Latin choral music, with gems great and small. Short pieces, such as "O Nata Lux" and the even tinier "Te lucis ante terminum," are given an exquisite rendering alongside larger motets (the opening track, "O salutaris hostia," is particularly ravishing). The programme includes both parts of the "Lamentations" for men's voices, which makes for especially good listening, but the best is saved until last: "Spem in alium," one of the most mammoth choral compositions ever written, is breathtakingly surveyed by the Cathedral Choir, the Winchester College Quiristers and the Vocal Arts Chorus.Secondly, as recordings go, there could not be a much better one than this for demonstrating the excellence achieved by the Winchester Cathedral Choir under David Hill over the past twelve years. Listening to them as they sing this music in the generous acoustics of the ancient cathedral, one cannot help but feel that this is the best way in which to offer this music, when all's said and done. Whilst such forces as The Sixteen and The Cardinall's Musick have done much outstanding work to spread this type of music abroad through their concert performances, it is important to remember that it was all written for worship, not for concerts, and it is only fitting that a cathedral choir should broadcast it in this way.As an act of worship, this disc is sublime. As a rendering of Tallis' music, it is superior. Worth getting and listening to over and over again."

Sublime

Mark Swinton | 09/25/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this CD with only a general awareness of Tallis. It is true that the voices and acoustics of this recording are exceptional, working delicately with the music -- never overbearing. When listening to this recording, I often wonder if the religious expression of an earlier age proposed answers that we have lost in the current day."