Various Artists - Angels Are Singing Womens Bluegrass Gospel (16 tracks) +Album Reviews swapacd.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from swapacd.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
(5 out of 5 stars) 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 works are old war horses such as the Josquin Ave Maria which is beautifully performed. Their tempo for the Josquin is similar to that of the spacious approach of the Hilliard Ensemble, and unless you like this music performed at breakneck speed you will likely find this performance perfectly satisfying. If you are interested in an anthology of Renaissance music then this is a great choice, however for those of us with a strong interest in music of this period what really makes this essential listening is the two extraordinary pieces by Vasily Titov.
(5 out of 5 stars) This collection of Medieval Christmas music has a wonderful mixture of pieces - Hebrew cantillation, Old Saxon readings, plainchant, processional music - with varying countries of origin - Spanish, Provencal, French, Italian, German, English. The net result is a varied program that will appeal even to those not particularly familiar with Medieval music.The musical instruments are period instruments - rebec, viola da gamba, flutes, recorders, shawm, etc. They are well utilized in the service of the words. The Boston Camerata is, as usual, a well trained choir - the words are clear, the voices blend beautifully.This can be an excellent addition to your Christmas music collection - one that helps keep Christmas a religious holy day rather than just a civil holiday.