Huelgas Ensemble -- Utopia Triumphans - The Great Polyphony of the Renaissance [RE-UP]

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Huelgas Ensemble -- Utopia Triumphans - The Great Polyphony of the Renaissance [RE-UP]

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Huelgas Ensemble -- Utopia Triumphans - The Great Polyphony of the Renaissance [RE-UP]

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Paul van Nevel describes this disc as a gallery of the Renaissance's utopian visions, the musical counterparts of the seemingly miraculous discoveries and inventions that marked the period. Certainly these pieces stake out new realms of musical space, culminating in the two rival compositions for 40 voices by Striggio and Tallis. Most of them are familiar only by reputation, and then only to specialists. Van Nevel should be warmly thanked for bringing them to a wider audience. It is now easier to assess their relative merits, and to register a few surprises.
The most unexpected discovery here is the Mass by Costanzo Porta for a maximum of 14 voices (represented by its last two movements). Ports (d.l6Ol) was one of the last composers outside the Iberian peninsula to write in the purest Palestrinian idiom. The style is familiar enough, but the sheer opulence of the sound cannot fail to impress: one would like to have had more of it. By contrast, the 36-voice Deo gratias and the 24-voice Qui habitat (attributed to Ockeghem and Josquin respectively) are far less convincing. Both attributions have been called into question, and this listener's impression is that they are mighty thin efforts indeed. Besides, the Deo gralias has no more than 18 voices sounding at any given time - could a composer of Ockeghem's reach have contented himself with such a sleight of hand? I doubt it. On a more positive note, the inclusion of Gabrieli's 16-voice motet brings a welcome hint of mannerism to this otherwise classical programme, and brings out the best ii in van Nevel's characteristic quirkiness.
The Huelgas Ensemble are no strangers to such polyphonic behemoths (one recalls their very impressive recording of Gombert, not to mention Brumel's 12-voice Mass, El ecce terrae mo/us -Sony, 4/93 and 5/91 respectively). Their usual trademarks are in evidence here - a very Flemish depth and throatiness of timbre, captured in a warm acoustic - and if one disregards the odd fluffs, the balance between overall effect and attention to detail is finely judged. As I hinted earlier, much of this is virgin territory on CD, but even in the one piece where there is fierce competition, the Huelgas more than hold their own. One may prefer The Tallis Scholars for their more balanced casting, or the Taverner Choir (EMI, 5/89 - nla) for their use of continuo (how strange that van Nevel should have passed this up!), but this Spem presents the familiar work in the unfamiliar context of a distinctly un-English sound. The pacing feels more spacious than that of Phillips, yet the two versions are only seconds apart by my stopwatch. I particularly enjoyed the appropriate hush at the word respice ("look down" - no triumphalism here!), and the surprisingly effective ritardando just preceding the final tutti. One also hears clearly the way in which Tallis takes thematic ideas from Striggio's motet; and if the latter comes across as slightly bland, it is a better piece than many critics have given it credit for. The advantage of hearing both works performed by the same singers is surely obvious. A very enjoyable disc. FF

Gramophone