Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Miserere
2. Kyrie
3. Gloria
4. Credo
5. Sanctus - Benedictus
6. Agnus Dei
7. Kyrie
8. Gloria
9. Credo
10. Sanctus - Benedictus
11. Agnus Dei 1 - 2 - 3

Disc 2:

1. Kyrie
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus - Benedictus
5. Agnus Dei 1 - 2
6. [Unspecified] Ave Maria

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14778 in Music
• Released on: 1999-06-15
• Number of discs: 2

Amazon.com
As hateful and usually untrue as most "Best of" collections are, this one is the real thing. You actually do get two hours and 20 minutes of Renaissance music performed so exquisitely, so correctly, and so passionately that it's as if an entire era in music makes itself understood through these CDs. The Tallis Scholars are as good as it gets in this repertoire. In addition to getting Allegri's gorgeous Miserere, you'll find Thomas Tallis's 40-part (40!) Spem in alium, some wonderfully weird and dissonant Responsories by Gesualdo, Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli (the "how-to" piece of the Renaissance popes, who demanded that the words be understood), and various other works. This stuff is like a finely woven tapestry and should be listened to bits at a time--it's amazingly rich and worth it. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews

A superb overview of Renaissance polyphony
For those looking for a wonderful and truly awe-inspiring overview of sacred music of the Renaissance, I highly recommend this CD, with this proviso: You'll spend quite a bit more money and time than you ever planned on buying and listening to more and more Renaissance music.

This CD does a superb job of giving us bits and pieces of 200 years of music, spanning from the turn of the 15th century and Josquin Desprez to the very late Renaissance and Allegri's incomparable Miserere Me. The one reason to choose this CD over the Silver offering is the fact that this one contains 3 whole masses - Byrd, Josquin, and Palestrina; this allows for some delightful comparison of 3 masses composed at different times and under differing circumstances in this era.

Enough said - do yourself a favour and have a listen - you will not regret it!

Great Representative Recordings of the High Renaissance
If you are building a classical music library and want to find some good recordings of High Renaissance (16th Century) music, this is a good place to begin. The selections contain good samplings from many countries. The choir is wonderful to listen to. The amazing 40-part Spem in alium is worth the price of the CD alone. Unfortunately, the liner notes do not include translations of the songs, but even so, the CD is worth having.

Some great Renaissance choral music
When I recently played the first disk of this collection in the small bookstore/café where I work, a customer told me she had been trying to read but couldn't because she was so captivated by this CD's sublime music.

Although I am a sort of purist who hates when people say they listen to classical music just to relax, I find this CD set is perfect for inspiring reflection and relaxation. So, if you're looking for good music to relax to, this would be an excellent purchase.

The same goes if you're looking for some great Renaissance music. However, the term "Best of the Renaissance" may be a bit of a misnomer; the CD does not include a vast array of music from the said era. This collection is solely /a cappella/ music. Perhaps a more fitting title would be "The Best of Renaissance Choral Music." If you're looking for a broad sampling of music from this time period in one CD collection, this may not be for you. Nevertheless, if you want well performed choral music by some great composers, I recommend this CD to both Renaissance neophytes and aficionados without reservation.