DE LA HÈLE / MANCHICOURT / PAYEN / ROGIER: Missa Praeter rerum seriem & motetes.

El León de Oro conducted by Peter Phillips and Marco Antonio García de Paz

Label: HYPERION

In 1556, when the Emperor Charles I abdicated and his son Philip II ascended to the throne, the then Imperial Chapel Master Cornelius Canis left the position in favor of Nicolas Payen, who became the first Chapel Master of the new monarch. It is known the preference of Felipe II towards the musicians of the Franco-Flemish school when forming the Flamenco Chapel, since in them he appreciated his mastery in execution and austerity in the compositional style. This new album by the Asturian choir El León de Oro, conducted by Peter Phillips and also its regular conductor and founder, Marco Antonio García de Paz, perfectly illustrates the arrival at the Spanish court of those composers, represented here by George de la Hèle, Pierre de Manchicourt, Nicolas Payen and Philippe Rogier.

The Missa Praeter rerum seriem of the first is the main work of the program, completed with an extensive selection that illustrates the art of these creators in the form of motets with a varied arrangement in the voices, from the 4 required in Virgo prudentissima of Payen to the double chorus to 8 voices arranged by Rogier in his Regina caeli.

Remember that this is the third reference of the Asturian choir in the prestigious label Hyperion, this should be highlighted.

The choir again covers the polyphonic lines with musicality, balance and clarity of sound, satisfactorily solving the challenge of facing this music with a set close to forty singers. The reward is to be able to enjoy the roundness and amplitude of the sound of the high moments, without ever neglecting the sharpness of the musical framework. The agreement of both directors on the interpretative approach, without substantive differences, adds more coherence to a project as satisfactory as it is commendable.

URKO SANGRONIZ

Link to the news at Scherzo aquí.

Link to the Disk of the month ranking on Scherzo aquí.