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Pro Defunctis

Orlando De Lassus (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Price:	CDN$ 22.31 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details
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Product Details

Audio CD (Mar 17 2008)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Ecm Records
ASIN: B000025HN3
Other Editions: Audio CD

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #149,014 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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1. Missa Pro Defunctis: Responsorium: Memento Mei Deus
2. Missa Pro Defunctis: Introitus
3. Missa Pro Defunctis: Kyrie
4. Missa Pro Defunctis: Graduale
5. Missa Pro Defunctis: Offertorium
6. Missa Pro Defunctis: Sanctus & Benedictus
7. Missa Pro Defunctis: Agnus Dei
8. Missa Pro Defunctis: Communio
9. Missa Pro Defunctis: Antiphona: In Paradisum
10. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Carmina Chromatico
11. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Persica
12. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Libyca
13. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Delphica
14. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Cimmeria
15. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Samia
16. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Cumana
17. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Hellespontiaca
18. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Phrygia
19. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Europaea
20. Prophetiae Sibyllarum: Sibylla Tiburtina
See all 22 tracks on this disc

Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

Many listeners today avoid Requiems, presuming that funeral masses must be depressing. Not so--many of them, like the Lassus recorded here, have lovely major-key part-writing and a sweet, tranquil air. The Hilliard Ensemble captures these qualities beautifully at the beginning of this disc: the first three tracks contain their most engaging singing in years. By track four, unfortunately, their dour streak emerges: however attractive Lassus's writing, it's difficult to stay involved with performances so aloof. Disappointment turns to serious frustration with Prophetiae Sibyllarum (a set of verses purportedly prophesying Christ's birth). The astounding opening movement changes keys at least six times in 95 seconds; the reserved singing gives barely a hint that the music is at all unusual. For the Hilliard Ensemble at their best, try their Pérotin CD. To hear an engaging, enjoyable Renaissance Requiem, check out Duarte Lôbo's, performed by the Tallis Scholars. --Matthew Westphal

Product Description

Many listeners today avoid Requiems, presuming that funeral masses must be depressing. Not so--many of them, like the Lassus recorded here, have lovely major-key part-writing and a sweet, tranquil air. The Hilliard Ensemble captures these qualities beautifully at the beginning of this disc: the first three tracks contain their most engaging singing in years. By track four, unfortunately, their dour streak emerges: however attractive Lassus's writing, it's difficult to stay involved with performances so aloof. Disappointment turns to serious frustration with Prophetiæ Sibyllarum (a set of verses purportedly prophesying Christ's birth). The astounding opening movement changes keys at least six times in 95 seconds; the reserved singing gives barely a hint that the music is at all unusual. For the Hilliard Ensemble at their best, try their Perotin CD; for a good example of Lassus in this mood, try the Penitential Psalms (Henry's Eight). To hear an engaging, enjoyable Renaissance Requiem, check out Manuel Cardoso or Duarte Lôbo, both by the Tallis Scholars. --Matthew Westphal

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Something standard, something new, Dec 5 2005

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME)

This review is from: Lassus (Audio CD)

--Orlandus Lassus--
A composer of the late Renaissance period, Orlandus Lassus was born in 1532. Franco-Flemish in background, there is a legend that he was kidnapped three different times during his boyhood for his exquisite choir voice. Lassus produced over 2,000 works in Latin, Italian, French, and German vocal genres, practically every one known in his time. His versatility is virtually unmatched. Among the 2000 pieces were 530 motets (on religious and secular themes) and over 60 masses. His career was spent in the Low Countries, in Italy, and in Germany, and he traveled extensively throughout other European countries. He died in 1594 one of the most celebrated composers of the age.

--Requiem--
The mass here consists of the classic parts - Responsorium: 'Memento mei Deus', Introitus, Kyrie, Gradulae, Offertorium, Sanctus and Benedictus, Agnus Dei, Communio and an antiphon closing, 'In paradisum'. There are definite pieces here that introduced new standards to the way the requiem is structures in the Renaissance, leading to Baroque times. This is a very good example of a Requiem, with power and strong tones of spirit and joy.

--Prophetiae Sibyllarum--
The piece begins with the item entitled 'Carmina Cromatico', which no doubt refers to the kind of dissonant song that follows throughout this working of the Sibylline prophecies into music. Lassus wrote this piece in his early days as a gift to his patron, and it was not published during his lifetime. It incorporates a kind of compositional technique that Lassus in general did not employ in most of is work. There are twelve motets done in this style, and perhaps Lassus had in mind the dissonance of the pagan prophet in the age of Christendom when composing this piece. In any event, it is unlike most of Lassus' other work, and is a nearly unique offering in this time period, as the inspiration to write in chromatic style faded rather quickly.

--Hilliard Ensemble--
The Hilliard Ensemble was formed in 1974, and have been performing worldwide as well as recording extensively ever since. They have been described as 'the Rolls-Royce of vocal ensembles'; being a consort of only four men, the sound is remarkable. The singers are David James (countertenor), Rogers Covey-Crump, tenor, John Potter, tenor, and Gordon Jones, baritone. Their voices are remarkably well attuned to each other, and there is a solid but not overpowering intensity in their performances.

This is superb work, and a real treat for the listener.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Tame Chromatic Lassus, April 21 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pro Defunctis (Audio CD)

I bought this CD for the Prophetiae Sibyllarum, a work I had never heard before. The Prophecies form a large scale work of Lassus's relatively brief chromatic period. Chromatic means that these pieces do not stay centered around a certain key, like D minor, but rather move rapidly from key to key, an approach to harmony that essentially disappeared from music after this period until Wagner. The chromatic approach fits the texts, which are poems that are Christian but with a strong pagan influence. (It would be an interesting problem to decide whether any of them would be acceptable as an anthem in a Roman Catholic Tridentine Latin mass). But they seem less chromatic than Gesualdo madrigals. I was actually disappointed that they did not sound more exotic. I managed to get a copy of the score, and when a group of us read through some of them, we found them fairly easy to sight-read, because the harmonic transitions are fairly natural to the ear, and like much of Lassus, their tempi are mostly on the slow side (which makes sense for Lassus because he wrote for cathedrals with long reverberation times). On balance, I found the Prophecies less musically inspired than I had hoped. But this is a fine recording of rare music, and I'm glad I own it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly done - not just for sacred music fans!, Sep 13 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Pro Defunctis (Audio CD)

I'd count this as among the best "classical" albums I've ever heard. The Hilliard Ensemble is inspired in their interpretation and flawless in their execution - David James'countertenor is particularly noteworthy.

The Missa pro defunctis which leads the album is a good piece of music, but the second piece, Prophetiae Sibyllarum is incomparable - complex, ethereal, inspired, and perhaps most of all, timeless. All of this is superbly captured by the Hilliard Ensemble.

Most of my interests lie in 18th century music, but I feel this is a must have for any "classical" and/or choral music lover.

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