ALL my choices this year are life-enhan­cing, but this one hits the heights of exal­ta­tion with some of Palestrina’s most inspired music… this beau­ti­ful CD seems the per­fect way to cel­eb­rate both Stile Antico’s 20th anniversary and Palestrina’s quin­centen­ary.

Few efforts will be better than these extremely nuanced and structurally aware performances by the vocal group Stile Antico.

Stile Antico sings this complex yet elegantly polished music with the group’s usual combination of lushness and focus, stillness and energy, bringing expression and nuance to what can sometimes slip into coolly uniform gorgeousness. 

No matter how elaborate the counterpoint, there are no hesitations, no rough edges.