Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Earlier in 2016 we expressed our appreciation for the first ORA release, 'Upheld By Stillness - Renaissance Gems And Their Reflections' and looked forward to hearing its follow-up. Here it is. Volume I took William Byrd as its starting point; this volume uses the Italian proto-reformer Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498) as its focal point. The singing, once again unaccompanied throughout, is as breathtaking as 'Upheld By Stillness' and once again we make the recommendation that listeners who appreciate excellence in choral singing will want to add this to their collection. We meet William Byrd again, with his setting of Savonarola's "Infelix Ego" ("Unhappy Am I") which we can compare and contrast with a premiere recording of the Estonian composer Eriks Esenvalds' setting of the same text. If I had to pick between the two I would put ancient ahead of modern but as we can have and appreciate both I won't worry. Most of the composers on this disc are contemporaries of Savonarola, including Gregorio Allegri who contributes a beautiful setting of "Miserere" and the splendidly named Jacobus Clemens non Papa (the "non Papa" to distinguish him from the pope of the same name). Frankly, I had not heard of any of the other composers (except for Anonymous who does not really count) so will not list them here. Suffice to say, if you are interested in the move from chant to polyphony you will enjoy what is on offer. Paradoxically, Savonarola would not. He was opposed to the use of musical instruments in worship as being a distraction from the words and also had misgivings about complex harmonies for the same reason. Read the CD booklet notes if you want to know more. The closing setting of the Miserere is by the Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan and this on its own makes the disc indispensable. He catches the tone of the earlier pieces and builds on it as only he can with the singing reaching even greater heights. More please!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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