From the first energetic notes of Giovanni Gabrieli's `Jubilate Deo' to the last phrase of J.S Bach's `Jesu meines Lebens Licht', this new recording from the Cambridge Singers under John Rutter and emerging new group La Nuova Musica is a gem. It's eclectic in its choice of works by European Renaissance and baroque composers: Hassler and Sweelinck were new to me, while pieces by the likes of de Lassus, Palestrina and the increasingly-performed Buxtehude were a mixture of the well-known and less-frequently heard. De Lassus' `Timor et tremor' in particular I found a masterpiece of, alternately, measured restraint and exuberant, soaring majesty. The phrasing and diction is clear throughout, and the setting (The Great Hall of London's University College School) gives a rich and worshipful sound entirely appropriate to the majesty of the music and the reverence of the text settings. Outstanding.
