Stile Antico – A Wondrous Mystery: Renaissance Choral Music for Christmas (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

Stile Antico – A Wondrous Mystery: Renaissance Choral Music for Christmas (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:12:58 minutes | 1,26 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi

Stile Antico’s 2015 release on Harmonia Mundi, A Wondrous Mystery, is a sublime collection of Renaissance choral music for Christmas, presented in a pleasant mix of familiar German carols and a mass, with tracks interspersed for the sake of variety. This makes sense in consideration of the group’s broad audience, which may know such popular hymns as Michael Praetorius’ Ein Kind geborn in Bethlehem and Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, or Johannes Eccard’s Übers Gebirg Maria geht and Vom Himmel hoch, yet be somewhat at a loss with the motet and Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis by Jacobus Clemens non Papa, a composer beloved by early music specialists but not exactly a household name for lay listeners. However, the a cappella performances are consistently beautiful and soothing throughout, and the quietly joyous mood of the music fits the album’s title perfectly. The 12-voice choir’s blend is well-balanced and transparent, and the ambience of All Hallow’s Church, Gospel Oak, London gives an ideal resonance for the group’s small size and close miking. –AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson

Tracklist:
Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)
1. Ein Kind geborn in Bethlehem 03:26

Jacob Clemens non Papa (1510-1555)
2. Motet: Pastores quidnam vidistis 05:01

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)
3. Es ist ein Ros entsprungen 02:57

Jacob Clemens non Papa (1510-1555)
4. Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis: Kyrie 05:51

Jacob Handl (1550-1591)
5. Canite tuba 02:10

Jacob Clemens non Papa (1510-1555)
6. Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis: Gloria 08:11

Hieronymus Praetorius (1560-1629)
7. Magnificat quinti toni 11:25

Jacob Clemens non Papa (1510-1555)
8. Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis: Credo 10:09

Jacob Handl (1550-1591)
9. Mirabile mysterium 04:06

Johannes Eccard (1553-1611)
10. Über’s Gebirg Maria geht 02:56

Jacob Clemens non Papa (1510-1555)
11. Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis: Sanctus & Benedictus 07:33

Johannes Eccard (1553-1611)
12. Vom Himmel hoch 02:01

Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612)
13. Hodie Christus natus est 03:14

Jacob Clemens non Papa (1510-1555)
14. Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis: Agnus Dei 03:51

Personnel:
Sopranos: Helen Ashby, Kate Ashby, Rebecca Hickey
Altos: Emma Ashby, Eleanor Harries, Katie Schofield
Tenors: Jim Clements, Andrew Griffiths, Benedict Hymas
Basses: Will Dawes, Thomas Flint, Matthew O’Donovan

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