Search - Des Prez, Stewart, Cappella Pratensis :: Lesse Faire a Mi / Salve Regina

There's a fascinating story behind this Mass. "Lesse faire a mi" ("la-sol-fa-re-mi") was the motto of the Grand Turk, Prince Djem, who fled to Italy to escape execution by his brother the Ottoman Sultan. Josquin wrote this Mass for Djem's ill-fated attempt to lead an Italian army to overthrow his brother. The Dutch ensemble Capella Pratensis tries scrupulously to re-create the performing conditions of 16th-century choirs: they sing gathered around a single large choirbook in original notation, interpolate plainchant between movements of a Mass, and pay scrupulous attention to regional pronunciations of Latin. The Franco-Flemish pronunciation they use here may be too unusual for some listeners, and the performance of the Mass isn't as extraordinary as that by the Tallis Scholars, but it's very good indeed. --Matthew Westphal