The last time we encountered a program like this, it was the early days of Anonymous 4, the female quartet that virtually pioneered the idea that medieval chant and polyphony could actually be, well, entertaining--and sublimely beautiful. And here, John Potter and Richard Wistreich, joined by the voices of YORVOX (students from the University of York) bring us similar repertoire drawn from a manuscript originally associated with the famous Scottish cathedral at St. Andrews. The music is stark and plainly cast, and these very experienced early-music singers effectively capture its direct, unadorned style, delivered with their typically warm, accurately pitched, carefully inflected, prodigiously engaging voices. The fog-shrouded, grey-toned picture of an ancient, ruined church on the disc's cover is a very appropriate symbol of the somber mood, subdued color, and unpretentious demeanor of much of the music, which after all was created for prayerful worship, not concert performance. As such, the program's 66 minutes grows a bit long, owing to the profound musical similarities from one track to the next, although the quality of singing and musicianship never is in doubt. Neither is the sound, which reproduces everything with full, faithful realism. Early music fans will know exactly what's going on here, historically and musically, and certainly will want this well-organized, thoughtfully considered realization of a Lady Mass from Scotland around the year 1230. Often these reconstructive projects, which inevitably involve lots of speculation and guess-work, turn out to be better on paper than in reality. This one is a pleasant, highly recommendable exception. [5/3/2005]

--David Vernier