The Call of the Phoenix: Rare 15th-century English Church Music

The English 15th century was a period wracked with civil strife, so the austere, ethereally beautiful music we hear on this disc must have been balm to salve troubled souls--not so different from this disc's role as an island of grace and reflection in our own troubled era. Little survives from the period, but the Orlando Consort has chosen wisely: mass movements and motets written by names familiar (Dunstable and Lambe) and unfamiliar (Pyamour and Mowrer), along with our old friend Anonymous. What keeps this from being an exercise in musical archaeology is the vibrant freshness the Orlandos bring to the music. The four male voices blend wonderfully and trace the sinuous interwoven lines of the music with accurate intonation and rhythmic verve. All the works are on a high level. Though it may be futile to single out highlights in what amounts to an all-highlight disc, there are special delights to be found in Benet's "Gloria," Frye's "Ave regina," and Forest's "Tota pulcra es." If you like the Anonymous 4, you'll love these virtuoso male equivalents: two tenors, a baritone, and a countertenor. Full texts and translations included. --Dan Davis