Sheppard: Media Vita

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The music of 16th-century English composer John Sheppard is full of soaring lines and crunchy dissonances (called "false relations") just before the ends of phrases; singers love it--and that love shows on this recording by the Tallis Scholars. While their performance of the opening work, the lengthy Lenten piece Media vita, is a bit too slow to maintain momentum, the rest of disc is wonderful: three contrasted settings of In manus tuas (performed late in the evening during Holy Week), the sumptuous six-voice Reges Tharsis for Epiphany, and the jubilant Christmas respond Verbum caro with its stunning final chord. --Matthew Westphal

Tracks:

Miserere
Ave Maria For Double Choir
Sicut Lilium I
Praeter Rerum Seriem
Pater Peccavi
Ego Flos Campi
Tota Pulchra Es
Descendi In Hortum Meum
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Salve Regina
Ave Regina Caelorum
Gloria

Tracks:

Media Vita
In Manus Tuas
O Nata Lux
Audivi Vocem
Exaudiat Te Dominus
Ah, Robin
Salve Regina
Kyrie
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus Dei

Customer Reviews:

Great choral music CD.......2007-01-26

This CD is excellent - a "must have" for every collection. Beautiful voices, relaxing music.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2007-01-08

The pieces on these two discs are taken from over fifteen years of recording by the Tallis Scholars, startng with the now-famous recording of Allegri's 'Miserere' from 1980. Allegri lived well into the Baroque era, dying in 1562, Therefore, he did not write the 'Miserere' in renaissance polyphony; and his chordal structure leaned toward the Baroque.
Victoria's 8-part 'Ave Maria' and Palestrina's 'Sicut lilium' are both pieces iln a contemplative mood, the first making direct reference to the Virgin Mary, and the second indirect reference to her via the poetry of the 'Song of Songs'. The remaining selections on Disc l, maintain the consistent, intense sonority of Flemish polyphony.
Disc 2 falls into two parts. The pieces by Sheppard, Tallis,White and Cornysh come from the first half of the sixteenth century and are part of the 'English School' of writing. Here the music is made up of long lines, more notes than syllables, with the emphasis on the part-writing and not the harmonic background.
The second part of Disc 2 is Byrd's five-part Mass, which was written in the 1590's for a recusant Catholic community. Byrd's music has drawn closer to the Flemish style; that is imitative voice parts, largely syllabic in setting with the occasional examples of word-paintings, and the voice parts closer together. But the mood has a different intensity than the writing on Disc one; darker and more questioning. Never was polyphony more passionate than in Byrd's masses,of which the five-part is the crowning achievement.
The members of the Tallis Scholars vary from year to year, and the list of participating singers is included in the accompanying booklet; but it does not tell you which singers are singing each year. That bothered me somewhat because I like to know to whom I am listening specifically. It does mention, however, that the solo group in Allegi's 'Miserere' is Alison Stamp (treble), Michael Chance (countertenor) Jane Armstrong and Julian Walker.
The recording is outstanding in every way. Perfect balance between the voices, perfect emotional investment, flawless dicton and the most beautiful vocal sounds you will ever hear; just Two and One-half hours of pure pleasure!!!!!

Lovely!!!.......2006-06-02

This set of CDs is truly wonderful. I am fond of sacred choral music and purchased the CD mostly to obtain the recording of Gregorio Allegri's "Miserere Mei." This song alone is worth buying the set. I heard it live by an excellent college choir in my hometown and immediately set out to find the best recording of it. Most buyers recommended this recording over the others. (By the way "Miserere Mei: by Gregorio is hard to find.) Additionally the other songs are also so relaxing, flowing, and meditative. I will be honest . . .the Tallis Scholars sing well but not as flawlessly as the Cambridge Singers. You will note that not every consanant is hit in unison, but this is not overly disturbing. (Still that is the only reason for giving four stars instead of five.) The sound is still lovely and the songs gorgeous. In Media Vita is another gorgeous song (first on second CD). If you haven't heard it, I'm sure you'll love the flowing melody!

Beautiful, but a little cold.......2006-02-06

The Tallis Scholars are the zenith of this type of singing, but sometimes they lack the vocal warmth that they probably could achieve if they were guided to do so. Still, this is a great CD, and even better for the 2 CDs of fine and uplifting singing.

The Greatest Hits of a Pioneer Ensemble.......2005-09-27

For years, Tallis Scholars have been quietly revolutionizing our recovery of sacred music. This is their "greatest hits" collection and quite great indeed. The Miserere which begins the set is alone worth the price of the set. The only fault with it is that it is so startling, so obviously genuine, that you will still be hearing it as you play through the rest of the set. The Scholars' ongoing recovery project only proves how integral music is to the human psyche, how essential the sacred is to basic human sanity. And how the severence of the two in the public space and the popular imagination -- the sacred from music -- has severely damaged us all en masse.

Stabat Mater: Late Medieval Motets of Penitence & Passion

Average customer rating:

Excellent!

Stabat Mater: Late Medieval Motets of Penitence & Passion

Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Ave Maria Gemma Virginum
Stabat Mater
Sancta Maria Mater Dei
Stabat Mater
Wofully Araide
Media Vit
Lugebat David Absalon

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2005-09-30

This is a superb album well worth the price. Josquin Desprez setting of the "Stabat Mater dolorosa" is beautiful. It is moving and will uplift your soul just as surely it uplifted mine.Buy it and be transported to the fields of Elysium on wings of song!

Average customer rating:

A wonderful collection
Outstanding! Sheer musical poetry
Outstanding selection of Tallis Scholars repertoire examples
A beautiful collection of their classics - a wonderful buy.

Tallis Scholars 25th Anniversary
Orlando di Lassus
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Chansons | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Motets | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tallis Scholars sing Palestrina

ASIN: B00000AFRI
Release Date: 1998-09-15

Tracks:

Miserere
Ave Maria For Double Choir - Victoria
Sicut Lilium I - Palestrina
Praeter rerum seriem - Josquin
Pater peccavi - Clemens
Ego flos campi - Clemens
Tota pulchra es
Descendi in hortum meum
Alma Redemptoris Mater - Lassus
Salve Regina - Lassus
Ave Regina caelorum - Lassus
Missa Et ecce terrae motus: Gloria

Tracks:

Media vita
In manus tuas
O nata lux
Audivi vocem
Exaudiat te
Ah, Robin
Salve Regina
Mass For 5 Voices
Mass For 5 Voices
Mass For 5 Voices
Mass For 5 Voices
Mass For 5 Voices

Amazon.com

This two-discs-for-the-price-of-one compilation gives a fine overview of the Tallis Scholars' impressive recording career. It opens with the group's signature piece, Gregorio Allegri's Miserere (featuring the remarkably strong and pure high Cs of Deborah Roberts), and continues with a cappella works by well-known Renaissance composers such as Josquin, Palestrina, and Victoria, as well as pieces by lesser-known composers--such as Clemens non Papa, Robert White, and William Cornysh--whose reputation the group played an important part in reviving. Phillips has chosen a particularly beautiful group of pieces, all performed with the reliably immaculate tuning and lovely tone that have made this choir world-famous. Longtime collectors of Tallis Scholars discs probably have most of the works included here already, but for those unfamiliar with the group--or with Renaissance sacred music in general--this 25th-anniversary album is an ideal introduction. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful collection.......2000-08-05

For me, the Tallis Scholars are probably the finest early music choir in England today. Though the reason for the release of this double CD - their 25th anniversary - has long since passed, it is still worth having in any early music collection, especially if you have never purchased a Tallis Scholars record before.

With so much material to their credit, recorded over many years, Peter Phillips must have had quite a few headaches over which tracks to include. He has opted to present two programmes: disc one opens with the award-winning 1980 recording of the Allegri "Miserere" and goes on to explore Palestrina and masters of Franco-Flemish polyphony, including Josquin and Brunel. Disc two features Renaissance music from England, including works by William Cornysh, John Sheppard, and of course Thomas Tallis. It ends with a stunning rendition of William Byrd's "Mass for Five Voices." Needlessly to say, there are many other gems from the choir's discography that do not appear: "Spem in alium," "Nine Tunes for Archbishop Parker's Psalter," the Sarum "Missa in gallicantu," John Tavener's "Ikon of Light" or any of the Russian motet recordings made in collaboration with him. Nonetheless, the collection is still superb, reflecting the choir's diversity and Peter Phillip's inspired direction.

There are just too many items on this disc to review in their entirety, and in a way it is impossible to single out any particular 'highlight,' although I have to say that items I constantly find myself listening to are the twelve-part Brunel "Gloria" and the Palestrina "Sicut lilium" from disc one, and the Tallis "O Nata Lux," and Cornysh "Ah, Robin! Gentle Robin" from disc two.

Here is some two hours' worth of solid singing, with all the hallmarks one could expect from the Tallis Scholars (represented in their entirety owing to the sampling from several recordings, recent and otherwise). As Phillips muses in the notes, it is staggering to think that what started out as a tiny student-run chamber choir at Oxford University has turned into an award-winning, internationally acclaimed ensemble. Yet, the results are undeniable. There are many specialist early music groups in England - The Sixteen, The Cardinall's Musick, The Monteverdi Choir and many others besides. Fundamentally, however, I believe the Tallis Scholars shine brighter than any of them, and those who doubt it even for an instant should try this wonderful collection. This is music making of the highest standard and I cannot recommend it enough.

Outstanding! Sheer musical poetry.......2000-06-14

Sheer delight! If you're already familiar with the work of the Tallis Scholars, then this 25th anniversary CD will need no recommendation from me at all. If not... then let me just say that this group of singers has not and will not be bettered at this kind of music. Their repertoire is mostly but not exclusively mediaeval, and this CD contains some of their best-known works, in particular their rendition of Allegri's Miserere, in my opinion by far the best version *ever* of this beatiful composition. The pure soprano voices render this piece achingly beautiful. If you don't already have an extensive Tallis Scholars collection, or - like me - want to start replacing your old vinyl collection with CDs, this is an excellent place to start.

Outstanding selection of Tallis Scholars repertoire examples.......2000-02-25

This CD is the definitive Tallis Scholars sampler if one is interested in hearing a varied cross-section of their superb repertoire. The major difference between this collection and the Best of the Renaissance CD is the fact that this CD includes works from no less than 14 composers, and still includes a whole Mass (Byrd's Mass for Five Voices)!

Starting with the opening piece of CD 1, Allegri's Miserere, the other pieces will open to the listener the world of continental Renaissance polyphony - Josquin's Praeter rerum seriem is marvelous, Clemens non Papa weighs in with 2 wondrous pieces, and Brumel's Gloria might rearrange some brain cells if not digested with care - 12 voices!

The second CD is even better (but I am partial to the English school), and Sheppard's Media vita is a masterpiece - it alone makes this collection worth the money! Hearing a fairly rare work from Robert White is also of interest, and the short love song Ah, Robin by Cornysh the Younger is very moving indeed!

If you're unfamiliar with the Tallis Scholars Renaissance music, please listen to this CD. If you're already hooked, please listen to this CD again - the arrangement of the pieces make it a pleasure, even if you know most of these works!

A beautiful collection of their classics - a wonderful buy........1998-11-30

This collection of Renaissance sacred choral music is just wonderful. The fine voices are enhanced by the acoustics in the Merton College Chapel, Oxford. The 2 CD set plays over 2 1/2 hours of Latin polyphony, from the Allegri "Miserere" to beautiful selections by Clemens, Lassus, Tallis, Byrd and others. It is a rare kind of music, both inspiring and calming. The 15 year old and the 50 year old in the family each own a copy.

Average customer rating:

Every home should have one

Sheppard: Media Vita

Manufacturer: Gimell
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Media vita
Media vita: Christe redemptor omnium
Media vita: Reges Tharsis
Media vita: Sacris solemniis
Media vita: In manus tuas I
Media vita: In manus tuas II
Media vita: In manus tuas III
Media vita: Verbum caro

Amazon.com

The music of 16th-century English composer John Sheppard is full of soaring lines and crunchy dissonances (called "false relations") just before the ends of phrases; singers love it--and that love shows on this recording by the Tallis Scholars. While their performance of the opening work, the lengthy Lenten piece Media vita, is a bit too slow to maintain momentum, the rest of disc is wonderful: three contrasted settings of In manus tuas (performed late in the evening during Holy Week), the sumptuous six-voice Reges Tharsis for Epiphany, and the jubilant Christmas respond Verbum caro with its stunning final chord. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Every home should have one.......2000-01-28

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.