Reviews

Sheppard... is quite a revelation, especially when sung with such unerring strength and clarity as it is here... this is awe-inspiringly beautiful music, gloriously performed. (EB, Classic FM Magazine, April 2010)

Stile Antico continues to set new standards for Renaissance polyphonic singing in this disc devoted to the 16th-century John Sheppard... The balance of vocal blend and individual voices takes you deep inside the music. (David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer, 28.2.10)

This recording of works by Tudor composer John Sheppard (1515-1558) is the fourth disc by young British ensemble Stile Antico, and the best yet. Their purity of sound, with a fullness achieved by only 14 voices, reveals Sheppard's rich counterpoint. Despite this extraordinary finesse there's no self-conscious beauty, only intelligent, vital simplicity. (Fiona Maddocks, The Observer, 10.1.10)

A remarkable technique and a perfection of intonation typical of the English choral school, alongside a presence and warmth of timbre and texture which equals today’s finest Franco-Flemish ensembles. (Jeremie Noyer, Tutti magazine, 6.2.10)

This new disc of works by John Sheppard undoubtedly will add more praise to the conductorless group's resumé and likely another award or two... The performances here are uniformly excellent, celebrating not only the richness and diversity of Sheppard's harmonic structures, but delighting in the sheer momentum of his often relentless, unceasingly unfolding lines and sometimes clashing colors... Let's hope that this will not be Stile Antico's last foray into this repertoire - but whatever the group does next, we'll be listening. Highly recommended. (David Vernier, Classics Today 10/10, 1.2.10)

Above all, it is a pleasure to hear the fourth recording of the most remarkable group of the last few years... a pleasure that you will want to taste again and again. Indispensible. (Jean-Jacques Millo, Opus Haute Définition, 1.3.10)

I was blown away by the happy surprise of this near-flawless recording of choral music by the too-little-known Tudor-era composer John Sheppard... Stile Antico is a remarkable group of 14 young British singers who sing with style, blend, intelligence and clarity: the music here is gorgeous, and so is the music-making. (Sarah Bryan Miller , St Louis Post Dispatch, 1.3.10)

Stile Antico’s unforced pacing, sensitive phrasing and wonderfully clear textures... their enthusiastic delivery of this technically difficult piece is all the more impressive for its assurance and polish. (Christopher Price, International Record Review, February 2010)

Stile Antico's stately progress through this wonderful work is a near-miracle of breath control, rhythmical but not metrical lines and transparency of texture, coupled with hypnotic ebb and flow of dynamics. It arrives at an awe-inspiring climactic conclusion... I have no doubt that this new album will be as acclaimed as Stile Antico's previous ones. It is a significant milestone on Sheppard's journey to modern recognition for his considerable talents, offering many beauties and evoking its period with considerable emotional force. (John Miller, SA-CD.net, 17.1.10)

Warning: masterpiece! ...The harmonic tension at the opening of Media Vita is admirable, without any voice piercing the canvas. The structure of this 25-minute tour de force is sustained in superlative manner, like an endlessly-long breath. (Christophe Huss, Classics Today France 10/10, March 2010)

a performance of sustained concentration and beauty... fresh in delivery, powerful in impact (RC, Yorkshire Post 5.3.10)

...interpreted sublimely by the ensemble Stile Antico. The lines follow each other, intersect, intertwine, and finally unite with infinite grace; the swirling of the hymns give birth to a sense of eternity, and the harmonies seem to touch the absolute. To listen to the purity and beauty of the voices of this young English choir, no-one could believe that man could be evil. (Gérard Pangon, Musikzen, 3.3.10)