Massimo Palombella Archive

PALESTRINA: Missa Papae Marcelli, Motets – Sistine Chapel Choir/ Massimo Palombella – DG

by Audiophile Audition | May 17, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

PALESTRINA: Missa Papae Marcelli; Tu Es Pastor Ovium; O bone Jesu; Confitemi Domino; Ad te Levavi Oculos Meos; Benedixisti Domine; Veritas Mea Et Misericordia Mea; Jubilate Deo; Confirma Hoc Deus; Ave Maria – Sistine Chapel Choir/ Massimo Palombella – DG 00289 479 6131, 60:29 [Distr. by Universal] ****: Round two from the Sistine produces a gorgeous recording of great authenticity. Last year we were treated to the first-ever recording made in the famous Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s multicolored marvel that, as it turns out, also sports some exceptionally resonant and rich acoustics. For the follow-up there is an even greater treat, hand-picked works of the Venetian master given in uniquely radiant performances that simply sound unlike any other. Though the Sistine is an all-male ensemble, the high tenors use a degree of falsetto that sounds quite different from the now-new-normal infestation of countertenors, a practice that adds a high degree of lack of strength when compared with the more preferred altos and mezzo-sopranos. (One wonders when the ladies will plan a worldwide protest…) So, the choir itself, the oldest in the world, and remarkably international in makeup, gives us an inimitable and richly-diverse experience of a space, place, and historically-crucial institution […]