Performer: The Hilliard Ensemble
Composer: Johannes Ockeghem
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Virgin Veritas
Size: 224 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Introitus: Requiem aeternam
02. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Kyrie
03. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Graduale: Si ambulem
04. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Tractus: Sicut cervus
05. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Offertorium: Domine Jesu Christe
06. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Sanctus (Gregorian chant)
07. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Agnus Dei (Gregorian chant)
08. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Communio: Lux aeterna (Gregorian chant)
09. Requiem (Missa pro defunctis) a 2-4: Postcommunio (Gregorian chant)
10. Missa ‘Mi-Mi’ (Missa Quarti Toni) a 4: I. Kyrie
11. Missa ‘Mi-Mi’ (Missa Quarti Toni) a 4: II. Gloria
12. Missa ‘Mi-Mi’ (Missa Quarti Toni) a 4: III. Credo
13. Missa ‘Mi-Mi’ (Missa Quarti Toni) a 4: IV. Sanctus & Benedictus
14. Missa ‘Mi-Mi’ (Missa Quarti Toni) a 4: V. Agnus Dei
Johannes Ockeghem (ca. 1410 – 1497) was one of the famous school of Flemish polyphonic composers in the late Middle Ages. Here, the Hilliard Ensemble have recorded two works known to us through copies kept in the Vatican library, the Requiem or Missa pro defunctis for two to four voices, and the mass known as “Mi-mi” or Missa quarti toni. As the Requiem only has the first five movements, the Hilliards have complemented it with four short movements of Gregorian chant (a total of less than three minutes). Both masses are full of high beauty indeed, with most of the movements putting more stress on the lower voices rather than the alto countertenors; the Hilliards’ usual countertenor David James is here joined by Michael Chance, whose exceptionally good voice is a pleasant surprise, but in the end it is Paul Hillier himself, together with the excellent Michael George (baritone/bass) who steal the show with some exquisite singing that, listened to in absolute silence and preferably in the dark, can inspire real devotion and joy (despite the sadness of the Requiem text).
The recording was made at London’s Temple Church in September 1984, and obviously the engineers were more interested in catching the wonderful blend of the male voices rather than trying to make each individual voice stand out. The result is a sound which is certainly impressive, although I would hesitate to call this disc audiophile: If you are looking for that kind of sound quality in a Hilliard disc, you should try their recording of Machault’s mass for Hyperion (a recording made by Swedish specialist Robert van Bahr of BIS Records). This Ockeghem disc is just very good listening, although the digital recording is not absolutely perfect: Apart from the (inevitable?) footsteps on the stone church floor, there are some clicking noises during the Requiem and also some tape hissing that one has come to associate with analogue recordings (this is digital, but it doesn’t really sound like it).
However that may be, Hilliard fans will love this disc, and it also provides a lovely gateway to late mediaeval music for newcomers. If, however, you think you would prefer female voices to countertenors, you may like to sample Ockeghem’s music in an interpretation by the Danish choir Musica Ficta, directed by Bo Holten (and published at budget-price by Naxos): their interpretation is not so strictly historical, but their singing is, in its way, also very beautiful.