According to their blurb, the Oxford Camerata were 'formed in order to meet the growing demand for choral groups specializing in music from the Renaissance era. It has since expanded its repertoire to include music from the medieval period to the present day, using instrumentalists where necessary.'
There is no doubt of the group's professionalism and accuracy, though sometimes their sound is a little woolly, and more like a madrigal group than the cathedral or royal chapel singers for which most of their target music was written - to be honest, they aren't quite as good as the Sixteen, and none of the independent groups seem to quite touch the depth of a real cathedral choir - but, and it's a big but - they're nonetheless excellent, so this is only a comparative put-down!
Gibbons: Choral and Organ Music
Gibbons is often better represented in the hymn book than
in the serious music of a service - and this CD helps demonstrate why
that's a shame. With a mix of verse and full anthems, plus a pair of Mag
and Nuncs and a smattering of organ music it gives a good picture of
Gibbons' church output. If you like the sound of madrigals, you'll like
some of the church music, but there are also works in here to rival more
heavy duty compositions - Out of the deep, for example. Both evening
services are fun - the contemplative verse settings of the second service
and the livelier short service.
- New
22 January 2004
English Madrigals and Songs
This is a real oddity for us, because it's
not actually church music - but if you thought madrigals were all 'hey
nonny, nonny', it
will be a hugely pleasant surprise. And if you love church music, you'll
love this CD too. This sampler begins with a handful of early
tudor songs, including Cornysh's wry number 'Ah Robin, gentle Robin' where
the narrator discusses his leman (mistress). The central chunk is a set of
'madrigals from the golden age', including the most fantastic title of any madrigal, Weelkes' magnificently
named 'Thule, the period of Cosmography'. To finish off, there are some
more modern romantic songs and part songs, beginning with Robert Pearsall
(he of the classic arrangement of In Dulci Jubilo we all know from Carols
for Choirs) whose semi-pastische 'Lay a garland' remains one of the most
stunning unaccompanied choral pieces ever - it's worth buying the CD for
this alone - and ending with Stanford's haunting 'The blue bird'. All this
for under a fiver (or $8) - you'd be mad not to buy it. Incidentally, the
music of 'Lay a garland' is available free from the
Choral Public Domain Library. Just enter
the name in the search box to find it. -
New 2
March 2002
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Last update 27 March 2006
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