Search - Bartholomeo de Escobedo, A Sei Voci, Bernard Fabre-Garrus :: Missa Philppus Rex Hispaniae

In a genuinely heroic feat of musicology, Anthony Fiumara has transcribed from a nearly illegible manuscript this six-voice Mass by Bartolomeo de Escobedo in honor of Philip II of Spain. While Escobedo's music is in typical Spanish Renaissance style, the performance presented here is unusual: arguing that the simple format of six vocal parts in the manuscript source was merely for archival purposes, Bernard Fabré-Garrus and A Sei Voci have arranged the Mass for two choirs (one with about 12 singers, the other somewhat larger) and wind instruments with "all the splendor and scope [the Mass] have had at some time in its past, at any rate in the composer's mind" (emphasis added). This may be a more dubious musicological feat, but the performance is impressive--especially the instrumental playing of Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse. Perhaps the best items on the disc are motets by Guerrero, Gombert, and Manchicourt, performed beautifully by A Sei Voci alone. While purists may prefer the a cappella performance of this Mass by the Westminster Cathedral Choir, Fabré-Garrus's grand conception is definitely worth hearing. --Matthew Westphal