Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Missa Viri Galilaei

Most Helpful Customer Reviews


1. A Great disc

By Sid Nuncius - June 4, 2009
Format:Audio CD

This is a really wonderful disc of one of Palestrina's great mass settings plus the motet on which he based it, and a Magnificat. I have loved this recording ever since I first heard it on BBC Radio 3 in the early 1990s and I am delighted that it's available as a budget reissue.

La Chapelle Royale under Phillippe Herreweghe sing superbly. They pitch somewhat lower than, say, the Tallis Scholars and record in a very resonant acoustic. Although they therefore aren't quite as pure and precise as the Tallis Scholars, they have a very rich, warm sound which is wholly beguiling, and their blend, fluency and continuity of line do this beautiful music proud.

The mass is performed with plainchant Propers between Palestrina's polyphonic settings. The plainchant is sung by Ensemble Organum, who are simply fantastic. They have a restrained but muscular sound (very striking as they open the disc with the word "Viri") which goes brilliantly with the polyphony and works real magic in the Magnificat primi toni. This is, as was usual, an "alternatim" setting in which alternate verses are sung to plainchant and polyphony, and the constant interchange between the two beautiful and contrasting sounds makes it something really special.
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2. Unusual and valuable recording at a bargain price!

By Kevin M. Lowe - February 13, 2008
5.0 out of 5 stars
By Kevin M. Lowe
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

One of the lesser known works of Palestrina, this mass was published only posthumously. Herreweghe (one of the best choral conductors on the scene, for my money) coaxes full, beautiful sound from his ensemble. There is ample reverberation at the recording location, but it does not overpower the music. While Herreweghe has a touch of the dramatic at times, this does not approach any of the overly-Romantic interpretations of Palestrina that were popular for a time. On the other hand, things are not quite as crystalline as the Tallis Scholars get sometimes. Note that this is recording is of a complete mass, so the monodic Proper sections are added in (not composed by Palestrina) - here sung by Marcel Peres and his deliciously reedy Ensemble Organum. If you are used to other recordings of Palestrina's masses you may be used to only hearing the Ordinary sections (the parts Palestrina composed, to the texts that never changed). Here you get a better sense of what Palestrina's work may have actually sounded like in context, in a church, with those other sections added in. Any recordings by Herreweghe are worth picking up, and since many are only available at great expense via import, this bargain CD should be snapped up immediately!
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3. 5.0 out of 5 stars Very beautiful music and an engaging performance

By Steven Guy - November 1, 2003
Format: Audio CD

Much to my shame, I have to admit that I do not have many recordings of da Palestrina's music. When I bought this compact disc I only owned three other recordings. I have subsequently bought a few more. I am falling in love with this composer.
I played this recording out of curiosity at work. The music flooded through the sound system in the most wonderful way. I played the recording three times that day at work. I made sure that I didn't leave without it.

I am sure that both seasoned Early Music lovers and novices alike will find much to enjoy in this beautiful recording. I am glad, in a way, that I waited until I was in my 40s before I really started listening to da Palestrina's music - it has been worth the wait! However, I'd recommend this recording to anyone of any age, gender, belief (or lack of) or nationality. It is sublime and perfect music.

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