Before New York Polyphony there was the Hilliard Ensemble, a male vocal quartet that performed similar repertoire, from early music to modern; in fact, this group set the bar, pioneered this kind of highly polished, sensitively balanced singing, focused on tone and timbre while giving nuance and expressive range to music that had a reputation for sterility and stodginess. I still prefer the Hilliard’s sound–generally warmer timbre and even blend–to the New Yorkers’ edgier resonance and more prominent individual voices, but that’s just a personal thing that takes nothing away from this quartet’s mastery of music and technique and assuredness of interpretation.
As for style, well, the first thing you notice is that the performances are infused with an enthusiasm and energy that lifts the music from cassock and surplice and dresses it for the concert hall. They don’t just sing these two famous masses; they perform them. As mentioned, the four singers (joined by two others for the six-part Palestrina pieces) eschew the “one-voice” ensemble style favored by many small groups, instead preferring a sound that celebrates each singer’s unique timbre–an approach that, given the group’s name, actually makes perfect sense.
The Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli has been recorded dozens of times, for a couple of reasons: it’s a great work, and it has long carried the (probably undeserved) reputation for having prevented, due to its textual clarity, an ecclesiastical council from banning polyphony from Roman Catholic church music in the 16th century.
My reference for this work is the Tallis Scholars version from 1980 (see reviews), not only because it remains the standard-setting recorded performance, but I also prefer the slightly larger ensemble and soprano voices; however, if you want a more “edge of your seat” rendition with a completely different perspective–in respect to texture and to the way balance among the six parts fluctuates more than we usually hear–then you will be engaged and impressed with this performance. For me, the sections that best embody this group’s beauty of sound, sensitive interpretation, and expressive ensemble work, are the Agnus Dei I and II. Victoria’s four-voice O quam gloriosum is also a “glorious” work, for some reason not often recorded, but, as we expect, here given the same care, energy, and expertise as the Palestrina.
Speaking of “different perspective”: as one who’s performed the Palestrina motet Sicut cervus dozens of times, I was more than a little surprised to hear this version that concludes New York Polyphony’s program. The mixing of these four male vocal timbres and the recasting of the piece at a pitch a major third lower made it seem almost like a different work. It’s a lovely performance, but it took some getting used to! The sound, from the resonant space of St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska, gives the voices a vibrant presence while capturing the very important detail of each line. Don’t be afraid to turn up the volume on this–even without a true surround system, you’ll be (most pleasantly) surrounded.
