Gregorio ALLEGRI (1582–1652)
Miserere
[12:35]
William MUNDY (c.1529–1591)
Vox Patris cælestis
[19:20]
Giovanni Pierluigi da PALESTRINA (c.1525–1594)
Missa Papæ Marcelli
[36:39]
The Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips
rec. 1980, Merton College Chapel, Oxford DDD
Texts and translations included
Reviewed as 24/96 download with pdf booklet from
hyperion-records.co.uk.
Download only.
GIMELL CDGIM639
[68:57]
I normally include download-only reviews in my regular Second Thoughts and
Short Recordings round-ups, but this is so important that I thought it
worth publicising among the main reviews. Not everyone who visits MusicWeb
reads my round-ups; if that includes you, why not try the latest edition:
Spring 2020/1A
and
1B?
Yes, you have seen – and possibly heard – this recording before. It’s the
one that made the name of The Tallis Scholars famous when it was released
on the budget LP and cassette label Classics for Pleasure. It was from the
cassette, picked up in a sale, that I first heard Mundy’s Vox patris cælestis and, indeed, first became aware of the Scholars
themselves. I’ve followed all its – and their – incarnations since,
culminating in this, Steve Smith’s new 24-bit hi-resolution remastering, in
sound quality to match the Blu-ray audio version of the recording which the
Scholars made in 2005 (GIMBD641, Allegri and Palestrina); Dan Morgan
thought that ‘a resounding success’ –
review.
Between 1980 and 2005 they had also re-recorded the Allegri and
Palestrina live in Rome (CDGIM994, CD, or GIMDP203, DVD: Recording of the
Month –
review). These two works have become so closely associated with The
Scholars as to become
almost their calling card.
Can it really be forty years since this was released – and ten since I
celebrated The Tallis Scholars’
Thirtieth Birthday?
Ten years ago, Gimell had their own download facility, but they have now
made an amicable transition to Hyperion
for their CDs, DVDs, blu-ray audio and downloads. Additionally, Hyperion
offer, of course, their own recordings, including those otherwise available
only from the Archive Service, and other valuable labels: King’s College,
Signum, Hallé, LSO Live, Collegium, Colin Currie, Mariinksy, 1equalmusic,
SDG and – just added – the first recording on the NSO in-house label. In
all cases, 16-bit lossless is available at the same reasonable price as
mp3, with 24-bit for most recent releases and, in all cases, the booklet in
pdf format.
Do NOT choose the ‘Download on iTunes’ option, unless you are happy with
mp3, which would negate the advantages of the re-mastering.
If
you are happy with this 1980 recording on CD, that
remains available for around £6.50 (GIMSE401, no download) and the 2005
recording can be obtained on CD or as a 16- or 24-bit download from
Hyperion.
The 1980 version established Merton College Chapel, Oxford, with whom Peter Phillips has now
developed a regular association, as an excellent recording venue. Since
then, Christ Church Cathedral choir next door have also been making
recordings there, rather than in their own less suitable acoustics.
When the 1980 recording was made, the music of Mundy was all but unknown.
We now have several recordings, most recently from the Choir of St Mary’s
Cathedral, Edinburgh, part of an all-Mundy programme (Delphian DCD34204). I
wonder how many we would have had if the Tallis Scholars had not included
it on that first recording. Having compared the Delphian recording with
other versions in my
review,
I concluded that it works well at a wide range of tempi but the Scholars,
in the middle of the range, make a very good case for their choice. Which
is not to disparage St Mary’s or The Sixteen on a budget Hyperion Helios
all-Mundy programme (CDH55086 – CD or download from
Hyperion
for £5). Both of these bring us more of Mundy’s music.
The hi-res remastered version of the 1980 recording costs £7.99 in 16-bit,
£12 in 24/96 and £14 in 24/192 format; the 24/192 is a very large file. Don’t expect the new remastering to
bring a miraculous improvement on what was always a fine recording. But it
does offer an extra degree of clarity, with all the parts of the Mundy, for
example, more evident, yet without exaggeration and still integrated into
the overall sound-picture.
If you have so far been resisting downloading music, this might well tempt
you to take the plunge. It’s not available on disc, where, regrettably,
better-than-CD quality is no longer the order of the day. Only a few
companies are hanging on to the superior SACD format: Chandos for about
half their releases, BIS for everything, Pentatone for most. Nor has the
Blu-ray audio format taken off, despite a few sputters, such as the
Scholars’ own 2005 release, an encouraging start from Naxos which seems to
have fizzled out, and the Solti Ring cycle in the best sound and
conveniently on one blu-ray in a hard-back book (sadly, deleted – it’s well
worth looking for second-hand copies).
It’s only a small point, but the retention of the original cover, designed
by Music for Pleasure and reproduced with their permission, is one of
the many thoughtful points about this reissue. Better still, the original,
informative notes, have been supplemented. More importantly again, like all
Hyperion downloads, playing all 46 tracks of the download in several
players is trouble-free. I mention this because MusicBee, one of the best
of the free players, can sometimes be fussy if the information on each
track is not 100% correct.
I shall be very surprised if I don’t find myself making this the reissue of
the year when it comes to choosing at the end of November. If it doesn’t
raise your spirits in these troubled times, I’m afraid that renaissance
polyphony is just not for you.
Brian Wilson
Footnote
From Peter
Philips of the Tallis Scholars
It's good to know that our recordings are helping many of you through
your day in these challenging times. Sadly, Covid-19 has decimated The
Tallis Scholars' finances. With so many people in far greater need than
us we are not asking for donations but, if you subscribe to Apple Music,
Spotify or another streaming service, please support us by playing our
recordings. We receive a small royalty for every track you play and
every track really does help. Aiming high, we have assembled a Marathon
playlist featuring 26.2 albums - see
here
for more information.
