early music vocal ensemble - stile antico

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Puer Natus Est CD Artwork

Awards

  • Diapason d'Or, October 2010
  • International Record Review 'Outstanding', October 2010
  • Choc de Classica, November 2010
  • Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Bestenliste I/2011
  • Edison Klassiek Award, 2011

Reviews

quoteSurely the pick of the new CDs for Christmas this year, this exquisitely performed and beautifully planned disc is another winner for Stile Antico... Perfectly blended, carefully balanced, its sonorities reaching back effortlessly to conjure up a vanished age of devotion. (Nicholas Kenyon, The Observer, 17.10.10)

quoteTheir best recording yet... Stile Antico's account of the Tallis Mass is masterful, displaying this small director-less choir's sure sense of this expansive work's architecture. Tuning and ensemble are perfect throughout... In short, another triumph for Stile Antico and Harmonia Mundi. (Christopher Price, International Record Review, October 2010)

quoteStile Antico has come through with another gem. This disc of Tudor music for Advent and Christmas shows off the elegance and richness of the English style, in performances marked by tonal purity and translucent vocal textures... (Joshua Kosman, San Franciso Chronicle, 24.10.10)

quoteA disc of sumptuous warmth and rapture from this wonderful British early music choir. The chosen Tudor church repertoire relates to Advent and Christmas, but it's really music for all time, all seasons... Singing without a conductor, the choir's tuning and rapport are impeccable. (Geoff Brown, The Times, 30.10.10)

quoteThis is a wonderful disc. I enjoyed it from start to finish and marvelled at the quality of the performances... I can only urge you to acquire this exceptionally fine disc and let the radiance of the music and the performances illuminate your Christmas. (John Quinn, MusicWeb International, 18.11.10)

quoteRepeated hearings have done nothing to shorten the depth or diminish the intensity of first impressions left by Stile Antico's work here. Puer natus est is for life, not just for Christmas! (Andrew Stewart, Classic FM Magazine, Dec 2010)

quoteI remember 25 years ago when I first heard The Tallis Scholars and thought how lucky we early music fans were to have this group and its recordings and performances to look forward to; with continuing respect for Peter Phillips and his groundbreaking ensemble, I find those same thoughts returning with every new Stile Antico recording. Highly recommended. (David Vernier, Classics Today, 24.8.10)

quoteStile Antico brings delicious balance and otherworldly beauty to this recording of music by Tallis, Taverner, Byrd, White and Sheppard. Listening will restore meaning to the holidays amid the retail onslaught. (Daniel J. wakin, New York Times, 26.11.10)

quoteAn exceptional performance by the young award-winning British ensemble Stile Antico... highlights the choir's outstanding technical aptitude and warmly expressive instincts. (Terry Blain, BBC Music Magazine, Dec 2010)

quoteMy top choice among the Christmas releases is from the young British choir, Stile Antico... Tentacles of plainsong and polyphony advance unhurriedly to envelop the listener in sensuous, pre-electric, surround-sound. Stile Antico's reputation is well-deserved: rarely have I heard voices and repertoire so perfectly matched on disc. (Graeme Kay, Choir & Organ, Nov/Dec 2010)

quoteAnother great disc by the young British polyphony choir Stile Antico? Yes, but this one is a step above the previous recordings made in its few years of existence... many recordings of similar reputation have a beautiful blankness, which has earned such music an unfair reputation for exquisite monotony. Once you start this disc, you can't tear yourself away. (David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer, 17.10.10)

quoteThese exquisite Tudor masterpieces for the seasons of Advent and Christmas are brought to translucent life by the young British choral group Stile Antico... cleanly, clearly sung and utterly ravishing in its beauty. (Sarah Bryan Miller, St Louis Post-Dispatch, 5.12.10)

quoteExquisite music, performed with a sense of wondrous discovery, and perfect spiritual comfort for the troubled soul. (Graham Ricksen, The Arts Desk, 20.11.10)

quote Probably the finest Early Music vocal chamber group this country has ever produced... Their hallmark of sopranos that so bewitchingly drift on high, with the men forming the solid ground level, is ideal for this mix of music by Byrd, Taverner, White and Sheppard. They shape each piece with immaculate balance and refinement. (David Denton, Yorkshire Post, 5.11.10)

quoteAmongst the maze of recordings of this repertoire, so beloved of English groups, one piece of advice: Audite miraculum - listen to this miracle. (David Fiala, Diapason, October 2010)