Very often, an album that simply plows through a publication containing multiple works without trying to relate them to other music or put them in context is a dull album. That is not true, however, with
Byrd's Psalmes, Songs & Sonnets of 1611, the composer's final publication. Although there are no sacred pieces in Latin, the volume represents something of a summation of
Byrd's life's work, and it is supremely varied, with sacred and secular bumping up against each other, humor mixed with deep English melancholy, instrumental works breaking up sequences of vocal ones, and a huge range of vocal settings from dense polyphony to clear homophony (sample Praise our Lord all ye Gentiles) that reflects
Byrd's enforced practice as a writer of Anglican church music. English Renaissance music is the regular stomping ground of
The Sixteen, who here break down into smaller groupings and enlist the help of the ensemble
Fretwork in instrumental pieces.
The Sixteen are unusually good here, inflecting their sound to catch the moods of individual pieces and remaining unfazed by the examples of virtuoso singing
Byrd demands. The church sound lacks some clarity, but this is nevertheless a wonderful
Byrd program that could serve even casual listeners as an introduction to this great Renaissance composer. ~ James Manheim