Infelix ego Cantiones Sacrae 1591, Gradualia 1605 & 1607
(William Byrd)

The Cardinall’s Musick’s award-winning Byrd series reaches its final volume, Which includes some of the composer’s most sublime and adventurous music, drawn in the main from the 1591 Cantiones Sacrae collection. Throughout this series it has become evident that a comprehensive survey such as this shows the genius of the composer in uniquely effective way: by demonstrating the extraordinary variety and unsurpassable quality of his musical and liturgical achievements. Andrew Carwood defines Byrd as the greatest composer of the age in his booklet note – as he writes: ‘If there is an english musician who comes close to Shakespeare in his consummate artistry, his control over so many genres and his ability to speak with emotional directness it must be William Byrd.’

The group’s delivery is a sensual delight BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE