The result is nothing short of magnificent. Taking Josquin's incomparable 6-voice `Benedicta es caelorum Regina', we first hear the original motet (track 2) in a quite splendid performance by this very fine-voiced and beautifully blended ensemble, singing mostly two voices to a part with female sopranos and male altos. Their treatment is deeply thoughtful, slightly more spacious than some others I have heard, and profoundly spiritual and expressive. That sequence of eight chords on the words `Ave plena gratia', which brings the first section to a close, transported me as close to Heaven as I'm likely to get, I believe. Following this same musical theme we then hear (track 4) the Kyrie section from Adrian Willaert's parody Mass on the Josquin motet; interestingly, this entire Mass, although rarely heard, has been recorded before on CD by the Cappella Breda directed by Daan Manneke on the Erasmus label - a lovely and fascinating recording which, sadly, is almost impossible to find nowadays. In the detailed and erudite booklet notes to that earlier disc, the Mass was attributed with equal plausibility to Adrian Willaert or Nicolle des Celliers de Hesdin; but, on the other hand, no mention of such doubts are made in director Giardina's excellent notes to the present CD. Be that as it may, the entire Mass is splendid and, in the Kyrie offered to us here, Willaert (or Hesdin) adds his own very fine harmonies and motifs to Josquin's magnificent lines in a masterly example of the art of parody.
Next, Palestrina brings his own profound beauties to Josquin's arching melodic lines in the Sanctus and Benedictus of his Missa Benedicta es (7). This, too, is glorious music (also available as a complete work from the Tallis Scholars Palestrina Masses: Missa Benedicta Es, another superb recording), moving a little farther away from the Josquin model than does Willaert - and this trend again continues with the Agnus Dei from Cristóbal de Morales' 4-voice Missa Benedicta es (also available, Assumption Mass). This latter work is in fact largely a parody of Jean Mouton's eponymous motet (which I do not know, however) rather than of that of Josquin - but with extraordinary ingenuity Morales, here in his Agnus Dei, combines his continuing Mouton parody with unmistakeable elements of the Josquin work (I hope you're still paying attention!); needless to say this, too, is not only fascinating but beautiful and, like the rest, it's all superbly performed by Giardina and his Ensemble La Sestina. A final contribution to the `Benedicta' theme comes in the form of an elaborated 12-voice version of Josquin's motet by Jean Castileti (alias Jean Guyot de Châtelet) - a world premiere recording and a considerable curiosity which I greatly enjoyed, including the distinctive descant to the final chords, although no-one would claim that the work's twelve voices somehow make it twice, or even half, the equal of Josquin's original (track 9).
Josquin's other motet, the 6-voice `Praeter rerum seriem', opens the disc with La Sestina's characterful voices producing clear, finely balanced textures and impeccable intonation, again at a slightly broad tempo than is common and with an unmistakeably spiritual, devotional quality. This is then parodied in Orlando di Lasso's 6-voice alternatim `Magnificat secundi toni super Praeter rerum seriem' (5) which, after the initial antiphon, opens with arresting references to Josquin's work from the very beginning, but considerably expanded and enriched - perhaps even more magnificent in scale and texture, although who's to say that this would make it better than `Josquinus incomparabilis'? What it does do, though - for me at least - is to bring fresh insight and enhanced appreciation of Josquin's model.
To complete the programme, we also hear Benedictus Appenzeller's lament on Josquin's death, `Musae Jovis' (3); Jacquet de Mantua's `Dum vastos Adriae', a homage to Josquin quoting from no less than five of his motets (8); and finally a short 14-voice `Premier chant' by contemporary composer Victor Cordero, taking `Praeter rerum seriem' as its starting point. I know nothing of modern music, so I can only say that this latter sounded not too bad to me.
This, then, is an unusual, enlightening and altogether quite marvellous programme of renaissance sacred music. The singing is superb, Adriano Giardina's direction is inspired and beautifully judged throughout, and the recorded sound - in the Katholische Kirche, Seewen, Switzerland - is splendidly clear and atmospheric. by Stephen Midgley
The Legend of Josquin Desprez
[Ensemble La Sestina]
2014 SONY / CBR320 / scans
O Púbis da Rosa
