Victoria - Requiem

*****

First class singing 2 Sep 2006

Phillip Cave's ensemble "Magnificat" might be regarded as just another in the long line of professional mixed voice choirs which specialise in music from the Renaissance, were it not for the consistently high quality of their recordings and interesting choices of repertoire. This disc, made in 1995, demonstrates the group's excellent blend, tone and musicality in performing the wonderful Officium Defunctorum by Victoria.

The music is quite marvelous: richly sonorous, sustained, and yet frequently harmonically taking turns which the listener does not expect. The opening movement of the Requiem will be immediately recognisable to anyone familiar with Spanish Renaissance music, but it demonstrates Victoria's distinctive gift for extended suspensions and plangent harmony. In all, this is a wonderful piece of music.

My only question about the disc is the inclusion of a considerable amount of plainchant, weighing in at almost five minutes in total across two tracks. This criticism is not down to the performance: the chant is sung expressively and musically, but it smacks rather of an attempt to "recreate" the mass "as it might have been heard", somewhat in the vein of Paul McCreesh's work with the Gabrieli Consort, but whereas McCreesh includes instrumental music as well as prayers, responds and plainchant psalms, this disc is a mass with a bit chant tacked on for good measure. I would rather Cave had included another motet or two, and made the disc thereby of more wider appeal.

However, this is but a very small criticism of a very enjoyable and excellent disc. Treat yourself.