Stile Antico’s newest recording, From the Imperial Court, has broken into the top ten of the official UK Classical Chart in its first week on release. The disc, which features music written for the Hapsburg dynasty of European monarchs, is currently at number eight in the list. From the Imperial Court is the group’s ninth recording for…
The singers of Stile Antico reinforce their already formidable reputation: intonation and balance are always flawless; the sound of the voices is glorious, precise and absolutely crystal-clear; the music always moves along effortlessly with well-judged moments of pressure and relaxation.
David Fallows, Gramophone (September, 2014)
This fine collection of music is associated with Hapsburg rulers in the 16th century: the composers range from Heinrich Isaac… to Alonso Lobo. The young British ensemble Stile Antico exquisitely sing other rich examples by Senfl, Pierre de la Rue, Josquin, Gombert, Crecquillon and Tallis.
SP, The Sunday Times (14 September, 2014)
We are thrilled to announce that our ninth CD, From the Imperial Court, is now on general release. The disc explores music associated with the great Renaissance Hapsburg monarchs, who ruled an empire stretching from Spain to the Low Countries, Germany and Austria. Repertoire includes Isaac’s spectacular Virgo prudentissima, and works by Josquin, Gombert, Tallis, Morales,…
Stile Antico is coming to the end of a busy summer performing at festivals at home and around Europe. In the UK, the group has performed at the St David’s Festival, Harrogate International Festival, Lake District Summer Music and Cambridge Early Music Concerts. Its European engagements have included Rheinvokal and Wege durch das Land in Germany,…
As usual—and it’s becoming a habit—Stile Antico’s performances are big, gorgeous, and highly moving renditions, while Harmonia Mundi’s surround sound is superb in every way.
Steven Ritter, Audiophile Audition (30 July, 2014)
The joy of listening to Stile Antico comes not just from the beauty of the individual and collective voices but also from the dense balance of the parts… these voices sound like they are coming from human beings, albeit ones with expert vocal ability, and not gossamer angels.
Jon Sobel, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (3 August, 2014)
This is wonderful Renaissance music, most of it by Flemish and Spanish composers…. It’s a beautiful disc. Stile Antico is at the top of the Renaissance a cappella scene. Their voices are seamless
Mary Kunz Goldman, The Buffalo News (16 July, 2014)
Lucid and fresh-sounding, the young, prolific vocal ensemble Stile Antico sings an intriguing program of 15th- and 16th-century works written for the Habsburg courts of Europe. The group is particularly superb, with tremendous dynamic range, in motets of mourning like Pierre de la Rue’s “Absalon fili mi” and Alonso Lobo’s “Versa est in luctum”.
Zachary Woolfe, New York Times (23 July, 2014)
Twelve voices singing unaccompanied, without a conductor, Stile Antico achieve miracles of precision in ensemble and tuning… But a group of settings of the erotic Song of Solomon showed that they could be sensuous too… they were no less accomplished in Watkins’ elegiacally beautiful setting of Shakespeare’s enigmatic allegory.
Barry Millington, London Evening Standard (12 May, 2014)
Last night Stile Antico was thrilled to give world premiere of Huw Watkins‘ new work The Phoenix and the Turtle, commissioned by Nicholas and Judith Goodison especially for the group to perform at the Wigmore Hall. Huw’s piece, a setting of an enigmatic poem by Shakespeare (with intriguing links to William Byrd), was extremely well received, both in the Hall…
Stile Antico’s eighth CD, The Phoenix Rising, has just received the coveted 10/10 award from the Classics Today website – the sixth time the group’s recording have received this award. Reviewing the disc, David Vernier wrote: Needless to say, if you want to hear this music sung by the new generation of specialist advocates, this…