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Reviewer: Kate
Bolton-Porciatti The Missa Gaudeamus—based on the plainchant from which it takes its name—is a cerebral, spiritual inspiration, rigorously worked out with a quasi-mathematical approach to the polyphony. Memorable highlights are the 'Gloria', which spirals to a heady climax; the 'Et in Spiritum Sanctum', where the basses plumb cavernous depths, and the haunting 'Agnus Dei' which contrasts starkly beautiful canonic duets with elaborately woven tapestries of sound.
The Missa L'ami Baudichon, by contrast, is based on a simple French folk song whose vulgar text is a surprising spur for a sacred work. Josquin's youthful setting is breezy and radiant—a far cry from the more arcane treatment of the later, plainchant Mass. It's a light-filled work, and nowhere more so than in the 'Et resurrexit' of the 'Credo', where the outer voices circle joyfully round the imperturbable tenor, and soar to celestial heights in the final 'Amen'.
Peter Phillips has been leading his ensemble for well over 30 years and his passion for the music is tireless. The Scholars' typically silky, seraphic sound is here given a more robust and visceral edge, thanks to boyish-toned sopranos (apt for music originally performed by an all-male ensemble), stout lower voices and muscular rhythms.
Using just nine singers gives an intimacy to these readings and ensures clear-cut words and sharply delineated vocal lines. The vocal balance is sensitively judged, and Gimell's recording—in the Chapel of Merton College, Oxford—is lush without being overly splashy.
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