Music for Holy Week & Easter
(William Byrd)

The sixth disc in the Byrd series is given over entirely to music from the Gradualia publications of the early seventeeth century for one liturgical season – Holy Week and Easter. At its centre is Byrd’s setting of the S. John Passion, conceived in truly liturgical style with solo voices taking the parts of the narrator, Jesus and all of the other characters whilst the choir of voices responds with the words of the crowd.

The musical highlights have to be the impassioned setting of Plorans plorabit (a darkly penitential motet), the exquisite sacramental solo song, Adoramus te, Christe, and the superb set of Mass propers for Easter Day – an explosion of musical energy to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

This is a lovely and powerful presentation of Byrd’s music. AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE