Monteverdi wrote his Missa In illo tempore, one of his three complete surviving mass settings, as a companion piece to the Vespers of 1610, at least partly to demonstrate to church authorities his mastery of the late-Renaissance, Palestrina-influenced polyphony the conservative hierarchy favored. He certainly succeeded in creating a work of rich contrapuntal intricacy that bears enough of a stamp of his own personality and harmonic preferences that it wouldn't be mistaken for Palestrina, a piece that should have strong ...
Read More
Monteverdi wrote his Missa In illo tempore, one of his three complete surviving mass settings, as a companion piece to the Vespers of 1610, at least partly to demonstrate to church authorities his mastery of the late-Renaissance, Palestrina-influenced polyphony the conservative hierarchy favored. He certainly succeeded in creating a work of rich contrapuntal intricacy that bears enough of a stamp of his own personality and harmonic preferences that it wouldn't be mistaken for Palestrina, a piece that should have strong appeal to fans of choral music of the period. Listeners' reaction to this recording featuring the Italian ensemble Odhecaton, led by Paolo da Col, may depend on their preferences in countertenor sound. On this recording countertenors take the soprano and alto parts that would have originally been sung by castrati. The singers on the highest part tend to have a white, somewhat closed tone that is more characteristic of countertenors of a generation ago than the robust, rounded sound of...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.