Quod mitis sapiens nulli virtute secundus, for 6 voices Missa super Oeniades Nymphae, for 6 voices - Kyrie Missa super Oeniades Nymphae, for 6 voices - Gloria Missa super Oeniades Nymphae, for 6 voices - Credo Missa super Oeniades Nymphae, for 6 voices - Sanctus and Benedictus Missa super Oeniades Nymphae, for 6 voices - Agnus Dei Exsultent iusti, for 6 voices Quare tristis es, anima mea? (Psalm 42), for 4 voices Stetit Jesus, for 5 voices Inviolata, motet for 5 voices Lamentabatur Jacob, motet for 5 voices Stella, quam viderant Magi, for 4 voices Ut vigilum densa silvam cingente corona, motet for 6 voices
Cinquecento’s first disc for Hyperion (Music for the Court of Maximilian II CDA67579) was acclaimed as ‘a revelatory disc’ and ‘an outstanding debut recording’. Their supple, mellifluous, expressive singing was particularly praised: ‘Their voices are young, lithe, pure in intonation and warm in timbre in short, ideal for interpreting Renaissance polyphony’ (International Record Review). Their eagerly awaited second release presents the music of Jacob Regnart (c1540–1599) and continues their exploration of the rich repertoire which was engendered in the Hapsburg court. The centrepiece of this disc is the splendid Missa Super Oeniades Nymphae, an expansive and elaborate setting for six voices. Also included are two state motets and six sacred pieces, which demonstrate the extraordinary musical and emotional range of Regnart’s work.
CD COMPACT 'RENAISSANCE' AWARD, 2008
'The grave beauty of Regnart's sacred music deserves more friends. The six male voices of Cinquecento, from five European countries, project the Missa Super Oeniades Nymphae and various motets with a clean, forthright delivery, enhanced by a resonant church acoustic. You feel that they've been singing for centuries' (The Times)
'The performances by the six male voices of Cinquecento are exemplary in their matching of vocal lines, and in the singers' ability to characterise every idea without ever losing the sense of the overall musical shape' (The Guardian)
'The Vienna-based Cinquecento's full-throated yet supple performance perfectly captures the Mass's joyful mood, with its soaring lines, delectable passages of sinuous polyphony and moments of striking text-expression … Its ringing, crisply articulated performances, aided by the magnificent sound engineering in a reverberant church acoustic, are no less powerful and brilliant. The group's blend and balance, illuminated by the firm voices of the two countertenors, are near perfect while preserving each voice's individual character. Above all, it is the intelligence of these performances that is striking … Cinquecento's superb performances, together with producer Stephen Rice's informative booklet commentary, make this an ideal introduction to the music of a still little-heard but important composer of the sixteenth century' (International Record Review)
'Even among the plethora of unjustly neglected 16-century polyphonists currently emerging into the limelight, Regnart stands out as a composer of uncommon talent … The motet Lamentabatur Jacob, whose bleak opening, spare textures and dark chromaticisms plumb the depths of despair, makes a particularly striking impression' (Daily Telegraph)
Recording details: February 2007; Kloster Pernegg, Waldviertel, Austria; Produced by Stephen Rice; Engineered by Markus Wallner; Release date: August 2007;