Byrd: Mass for Five Voices; Ave verum corpus; Lamentations & Other Works

In a selection of motets woven affectingly throughout the glorious five-part Mass, The Gesualdo Six perfectly captures all the power and tenderness of Byrd's compositional voice. "Throughout, the ensemble sings flawlessly, the lower voices providing sonorous foundations over which the upper voices float and soar. Park coaxes deeply expressive accounts, in which the pervasive themes of grief and penitence are ultimately transcended by the unwavering optimism of faith." BBC Music Magazine (5 STARS) "It is a special strength of this recording that The Gesualdo Six sound pellucid and grand and yet intimate, as though combining two approaches." - Gramophone "this beautifully sung and recorded disc captures supremely well the stillness at the heart of the Mass, which was written for secret Catholic worship during the reign of Elizabeth I" The Sunday Times "the homogeneity of the group is impeccable and the contrast between those passages in the mass where Byrd reduces or changes the number of voices involved and when the full consort of six sings together in full voice is very apparent." MusicWeb International Lux aeterna - CDA68388 works by Bennett, Byrd, Cox, Daley, Guest, Marsh, McKevitt, Morales, O'Donnell, Park, Purcell, Skempton, Tallis & Tavener: "As always with the Gesualdo Six, the thing that strikes one most forcibly on first listening is the ensemble's extraordinary vocal blend!" GRAMOPHONE CARLO GESUALDO (c1561-1613) - Tenebrae Responsaries for Maundy Thursday: "In sum, these are account of haunting beauty - warmly recommended" BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE