BaL 25.06.16 - Victoria: Masses

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library: Tess Knighton comes up with a recommendation for Victoria's Masses from among available versions.

One of eleven children, Spaniard Tomás Luis de Victoria's family was peppered with high-achievers (cousins included a naval commander, a Jesuit pioneer in the New World and a successful Florentine-based merchant who married into the Medicis). But Tomás trumped them all to become one of the greatest church composers of Renaissance Europe, famous for the intensity of his music, including his Mass settings. Perhaps surprisingly, the recording catalogue reflects a still-current tradition of Victoria performance begun at Westminster Cathedral at the end of the nineteenth century, and a comparative dearth of Iberian performances of the Masses.

Available versions:-

Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater a 8

The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Yale Schola Cantorum, Yale Voxtet, Simon Carrington
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Ensemble Plus Ultra


Missa Ascendens Christus in altum

Choir of Westminster Cathedral, David Hill
Saint Clement's Choir, Philadelphia, Peter Richard Conte (download)


Missa Ave Maris Stella

Westminster Cathedral Choir, David Hill
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone


Missa Ave Regina caelorum for eight voices

Westminster Cathedral Choir, Martin Baker
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone


Missa De Beata Maria Virgine

Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone
Westminster Cathedral Choir, Martin Baker


Missa Dum complerentur

Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Stephen Darlington
Westminster Cathedral Choir, James O’Donnell


Missa Gaudeamus

Westminster Cathedral Lay Clerks, Matthew Martin
The Cardinall's Musick, Andrew Carwood
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone


Missa Laetatus sum a 12

The Sixteen, Harry Christophers


Missa O magnum mysterium

Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly
Choir of Westminster Cathedral, David Hill
Ensemble Corund


Missa O quam gloriosum

Westminster Cathedral Choir, David Hill
Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Stephen Cleobury
Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly
The Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner
Music Picta, Raul Mallavibarrena (download)
Il Convitto Armonico, Stefano Buschini
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers (DVD)
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone


Missa Pro Defunctis

La Stagione Armonica, Sergio Balestracci
Magnificat, Philip Cave
Westminster Cathedral Choir, David Hill
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Saarbrucken Chamber Choir, Georg Grun
Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe Herreweghe
Gabrieli Consort, Paul McCreesh
Musica Ficta, Raúl Mallavibarrena
Armonico Consort, Christopher Monks
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone
Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips
Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Graham Ross
Escolania Montserrat Leitung, Ireneu Segarra (download)
Tenebrae, Nigel Short


Missa Pro Victoria

The Cardinall's Musick, Andrew Carwood
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone


Missa Quarti toni

Les Chanteurs de Saint-Eustache, Révérend Père Émile Martin (download)


Missa Salve a 8

The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone


Missa Simile est regnum cœlorum

Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Stephen Darlington


Missa Surge Propera

Westminster Cathedral Choir, Martin Baker


Missa Trahe Me, Post Te

The Choir of Westminster Cathedral, James O’Donnell


Missa Vidi Speciosam

Westminster Cathedral Choir, David Hill
Regensburger Domchor, Hans Schrems (download)


Recommended:

Victoria:
Missa Pro Victoria
Missa Pro Defunctis
Psalms and Responsories
Lamentations of Jeremiah
Missa Gaudeamus
Magnificat Octavi toni
Missa Ave Maris Stella
Missa de Beata Virgine
Motets
Magnificat Primi Toni
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Missa O quam gloriosum
Christe redemptore omnium
Doctor bonus amicus Dei Andreas
Tibi Christe
Music for the Easter Liturgy in Habsburg Madrid
Missa Ave Regina caelorum for eight voices
Motets and music for Vespers
Missa Salve a 8
Motets and Hymns for the liturgical year


Ensemble Plus Ultra, Michael Noone
10 CD set

[jean]

Are they really going to discuss so many different works, as well as different interpretations? And only one version of the Requiem?

It's like having one BAL for all of Beethoven's symphonies!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Are they really going to discuss so many different works, as well as different interpretations? And only one version of the Requiem?

It's like having one BAL for all of Beethoven's symphonies!

They've had a BaL for all of Bruckner's symphonies before.

[Pulcinella]

Are they really going to discuss so many different works, as well as different interpretations? And only one version of the Requiem?

It's like having one BAL for all of Beethoven's symphonies!

I guess it's not clear from the BBC blurb if the requiem is included or not.
There are certainly more versions available than in Alpie's list:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/31281/Tomás-Luis-de-Victoria-Requiem-1605-%27Officium-defunctorum%27

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There are certainly more versions available than in Alpie's list:
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/3...defunctorum%27

Um... yes. I'll have to do something about this. If the word "missa" wasn't glued to it, it passed me by.

[Pulcinella]

Um... yes. I'll have to do something about this. If the word "missa" wasn't glued to it, it passed me by.

Understandable.

I suspect that the requiem will not be included, as it itself was the subject of a whole BaL not that long ago (in BaL terms).

[BBMmk2]

I'll most certainly be listening or catching up to this!

[DracoM]

Totally agree with jean!
How on earth can they possibly encompass even the list Alpie presented, let alone the other historical versions - eg I own three versions of various ones listed and not listed upthread but they are decades old.
Surely Ms Knighton is not going to do a 'full historical'?? The mind boggles.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Is that better?

[jean]

Much!

But worth a BAL on its own!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Much!

But worth a BAL on its own!

There was one, when we were all much younger, in 2005.

The Westminster/Hill version won. (I can't imagine his current choir winning anything. )

[jean]

I thought I remembered it.

I have this, which sadly I don't get round to playing much any more because it's vinyl - though I see it's still available!

[DracoM]

Yes, jean, IMO STILL one of the very best, despite some 'interesting' background traffic noise outside the east window, and lack of overly sophisticated convincing recording quality!

But the singing, phrasing, pacing, the gravity and seriousness....ah, now that's the real thing.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

As far as I can see, it's not available at present.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

They've had a BaL for all of Bruckner's symphonies before.

- recently? (They have had BaLs on the complete Beethoven symphonies; one in the mid-'70s, just after the Bruno Walter set was issued by CBS at a very cheap price that I was saving up for. Richard Osborne's comments on it put me off buying it - twit! Then again about ten years later, when RO [again] shared the laurels between three DG sets - Karajan '70s, Bernstein and Böhm. I had the first two sets so bought the Böhm to make up the trio. Twit!)

I share the disbelief that, with so many recordings available, this BaL could possibly do justice to either the Music or the recordings.