Like the music of Bach, Palestrina’s masses, motets, and Magnificats reveal new facets and deeper insights with each hearing. Although the music on this recording, which includes a mass and two penitential motets, is more intensely reverential than festive, its flawless beauty and the equally inspired performances provide 65 minutes of pure bliss. If pressed to name a highlight or two, certainly the soaring sensuousness of the motet “Tribulationes civitatum” and the complex yet effortlessly flowing lines of “Cantantibus organus” would top the list. But then, what about the joyful tempo and temper of “Tu es Petrus” and the wonderfully accessible yet musically intricate mass? The truth is, anywhere you begin listening, you’ll find Palestrina at his best–and enough stylish, clear-voiced, perfectly balanced, fine-tuned, warmly expressive singing to ensure many return visits.
