Search - Thomas Tallis, David Hill, Winchester Cathedral Choir :: Tallis: Missa Salve Intemerata

Chillingly Beautiful

Nancy Wiley | 03/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think it very unlikely that there will ever be another recording of this repertoire that possesses such sublime perfection in performance and sound engineering. The choir of Winchester Cathedral is impeccable in tone, pitch, and interpretation, and their singing, under choirmaster David Hill, is awe-inspiringly matched to the timbre of this music.

Most of the music on this disc is composed by Tallis, although there are a few plainsong tracks interspersed, and if Tallis's reputation were not already strikingly sterling, this disc would be enough to remedy the situation. Although I don't wish to appear foolish, I feel compelled to mention that, in my opinion, the whole recording is rather eerie in its beauty, (this is partially due to the great resonance of Winchester Cathedral, captured to marvelous effect here by Hyperion's superb recording techniques) and if one is looking for an otherworldly recording to play on grey days while reading a good book, this is certainly a means to that end. It is not necessarily something which one would wish to play during a dinner with company, as the guests might find the chilling sounds of this "ancient" music less agreeable to the appetite than, say, Stanford or Parry; and yet I must say that I have few CDs in my large collection that I have been as impressed with as this one. It is by NO means a recording to be bought simply because one feels it necessary to have something by Tallis in the collection, and for "educational" reasons. It is simply breathtaking listening! I HIGHLY recommend this for ANYBODY!!!"