Magnificat: A Capella Works by Josquin, Palestrina, Titov, Victoria, and Others
In the wake of its previous, Grammy-winning disc of contemporary madrigals (Colors of Love), the all-male a cappella ensemble that calls itself Chanticleer--in homage to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales --comes home to roost in this theme album of early music. After all, this is the territory that Chanticleer first staked out when the group banded together in 1978, and the return is most welcome. Magnificat offers manifold rewards, from the sensitive, imaginative culling of its program to the warmth and lithe interweaving of vocal layers in its execution (vividly recorded in splendid 20/24-bit process at the Skywalker Ranch)--not to mention the capsule music history that it traces. Like depictions of the Annunciation in medieval and Renaissance paintings, musical settings of texts that are centered on Mary abound during this period. Chanticleer's anthology includes familiar gems (the hymn "Ave Maris Stella"), but the group is delightfully unpredictable in many of its choices: examples of the polychoral sacred music of Russian Vasily Titov, contrafactum reworkings of two Monteverdi madrigals to Marian texts, and a full Magnificat setting by Tudor master John Taverner. The latter gives a microcosm of Chanticleer's vocal versatility, presenting stern, unadorned plainsong side-by-side with melodies that blossom like tendrils. Or listen to the ensemble's dynamic control, from the exultant climaxes of the Titov choral concerto to the achingly beautiful, held diminuendo on the second Monteverdi piece. Most impressive of all is that Chanticleer manages to avoid the bane of a cappella groups--a bland, homogenized sameness of sound--through its subtle variations in color and thoughtful musicality. A real treasure. --Thomas May more
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Chanticleer: Magnificat (A Capella...
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ProductReviews93/100 (9 Reviews)
Recent Reviews
- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Jun-27-2007
- Beautiful with excellent sound engineering and singing
I got what I wanted ---some absolutely beautiful compositions with exquiste voices. Should be a grammy nominee
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- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Jun-17-2005
- Beautiful performances and some nice surprises
This is a nice anthology of Renaissance music encompassing key composers of both the Prima and Seconda Prattica, including one or two less known names. The uniting theme is that of they are all in praise of the Virgin Mary. Most of these...
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- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Jan-04-2003
- Heavenly
This is one of my first two DVD-audio discs. Some tracks are recorded from the audience perspective, with the choir across the front and cathedral ambience all around, and those are beautiful, but I gotta say I love the, "choir-around...
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- 4/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Mar-08-2002
- Marvelous sound
This recording wraps you up in a gorgeous sonority, and I'm only listening in stereo. I can't wait to hear it when I fill out my speaker ensemble.
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Selected Reviews
- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Jun-27-2007
- Beautiful with excellent sound engineering and singing
I got what I wanted ---some absolutely beautiful compositions with exquiste voices. Should be a grammy nominee
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- 3/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Dec-26-2001
- Disappointing performance practice
Although this album does not differ from any other Chanticleer album in its gorgeous sound, the performances of Palestrina and Josquin are...well, boring. Contrary to popular belief, this music was not to be done at a snail's pace. The...
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