Both timeless and completely in the moment

Francisco de Peñalosa: Lamentationes; works by Francisco Guerrero & Pedro de Escobar

Francisco de Peñalosa is the link between the great Flemish composer Josquin des Prez (his senior by 15 or 20 years) and the full flowering of Spanish Renaissance music, represented by Alonso Lobo, Tomás Luís de Victoria and Francisco Guerrero. This new disc from New York Polyphony presents two Lamentationes by Peñalosa, along with a number of his Mass segments. As well, we have a short Stabat Mater by his contemporary Pedro de Escobar, and two pieces by Francisco Guerrero, who was born the same year (1528) that Peñalosa died.

Peñalosa's music can sound strikingly modern while retaining its antique patina. In his fine liner notes, Ivan Moody quotes Ken Kreitner's praise of the 'kaleidoscope" effect of the Gloria of Peñalosa's Missa 'L'Homme Armé", whereby "... the tune is broken into little bits which are scattered everywhere and audible somewhere all the time in a rather dazzling display of wit and invention." The process, and its effect, is positively post-modern!

New York Polyphony recording in Princeton Abbey. Photo: Joanne Bouknight

The superb singing, impressive acoustic space (of the Princeton Abbey in the former site of the Saint Joseph's Seminary in Plainsboro NJ), and perfectly captured audio all come together to provide an experience that is both timeless and completely in the moment. Another impressive project from New York Polyphony!




This album will be released on September 6, 2019.

Powerful, pure and polished polyphony

New York Polyphony, whose 2014 Christmas album was a stand-out release, now present this superb recording of great music from the Eternal City's 16th Century artistic peak. Singing one voice per part (the core group in the 4-part works, augmented with other fine singers in 6-part repertoire) New York Polyphony provides absolute purity in these amazing works. There's been some criticism that there's too much precision - Brian Wilson at MusicWeb International says, in an otherwise admiring review, "everything here sounds just a little too perfectly polished" - but I don't see it that way. The intelligibility of the words of the mass in spite of polyphonic overlapping became an important issue following the Council of Trent, and under the influence of Cardinal Charles Borromeo, according to Ivan Moody's excellent essay included in the liner notes. This repertoire, and especially the Palestrina, is about the spiritual life, but the politics of the Counter-Reformation (even if one discounts the debunked legend of Palestrina as 'saviour of polyphony') looks to the presentation of Catholic music as perfect and eternal. Purity, polish, polyphony: these all go with another P word: power.

Finally, I must say some words about the great record company BIS. From their home in Sweden they have real global reach: their projects with OSESP in Sao Paulo and Bach Collegium Japan in Tokyo represent the highest possible musical and engineering standards. This project with New York musicians recording in Omaha, Nebraska continues that legacy of excellence.

Yuletide Tradition and Novelty

From October 30, 2014:

The new BIS album from the excellent New York Polyphony includes a few old standbys; we all love the traditional at Christmastime. But as the classical Christmas CDs pile up, most of us look for something new as well, and this album delivers that.

The group - counter-tenor, tenor, baritone and bass - sings no less than four different versions of There is No Rose. The first is fairly well known; we've been singing it since the 15th Century. John Scott wrote a new version especially for New York Polyphony, and in between the group also sings Geoffrey Williams' adaptation, based on Samuel Sebastian Wesley's Hereford hymn.

The final There is No Rose is one of the Five Carols of utility-infield composer Richard Rodney Bennett. The four male voices are here joined by two sopranos, which brings welcome tonal variety to the program. The sopranos also sing on my favourite track on this album: Peter Warlock's Bethlehem Down. I've somehow managed to never take notice of this Anglican anthem in years and years of Christmases, though it seems to be a beloved standard in the UK. Based on a lovely poem by Bruce Blunt, this touching and sad piece ties the Nativity with the future Good Friday. Warlock and Blunt entered the piece in a newspaper Christmas Carol contest, and their winnings paid for their Christmas booze. The composer termed it "an immortal carouse." I'll be listening to this CD at Christmas while downing my own vintage port or single malt scotch.