This excellent recording is more than 10 years old–it was recorded in the early 1990s and is released as part of a series titled “Musical Heritage of Andalucia”, produced by the region’s official cultural bureau. Today it stands as the only complete version on disc of Morales’ Mass based on the revered Josquin chanson Mille regretz–and this is not a bad thing, given the Hilliard Ensemble’s authoritative command of this repertoire and uniformly fine singing. Perhaps due to the particular acoustic–the monastery church of Loreto (Sevilla)–or to aspects of Morales’ voicing, the countertenor timbre is more prominent, more distinctly separate from the Hilliards’ usual “blend”, but this, combined with the venue’s natural resonance, gives an exciting, refreshingly vibrant quality to the sound.
Included are several motets, a Magnificat, and alternate versions of the Sanctus and Agnus Dei Mass movements. The generously-filled (74-minute) program ends with a performance of Josquin’s four-voice setting of Mille regretz. This Mass, notable for its often very long stretches of melody and for its striking modal harmonies and cadences (made especially interesting by the Hilliards’ unique interpretive choices), constitutes an important piece of the amazingly varied and colorful patchwork of Renaissance sacred music. If you don’t own it, here’s your chance–and it makes an excellent companion to Jordi Savall’s Alia Vox recording Mille Regretz: La Canción del Emperador (Song of the Emperor), which contains two of the Mass movements plus many other works significant in the life of the “emperor” in question, Charles V.
