Josquin: Motets & Mass Movements / Rice, Brabant Ensemble

Biographical and musicological certainties may be in short supply in the life and work of Josquin, but there’s no gainsaying the magni?cence of the music recorded here: a programme of shorter works, most in unusual guise, to celebrate his 500th anniversary.

REVIEW:

The ensemble’s sound is clean and ingenuous throughout: boyish sopranos and altos are balanced by fresh-voiced tenors and basses, intonation is nigh flawless, the recording limpid. Stephen Rice and his singers subtly capture the emotional and spiritual gamut of these works. Rice’s detailed liner notes, which include a summary of the scholarly debates surrounding the spurious works, wrap up this treasurable anniversary disc.

– BBC Music Magazine