Allegri: Masses, Miserere & Motets Choir of King's College London & David Trendell

• 1 Kyrie 06:44
• 2 Gloria 05:10
• 3 Credo 08:00
• 4 In lectulo meo 03:32
• 5 Sanctus - Benedictus 04:35
• 6 Agnus Dei 02:54
• 7 Il salmo Miserere mei Deus 12:18
• 8 Kyrie 03:30
• 9 Gloria 05:04
• 10 Credo 08:28
• 11 Christus resurgens ex mortuis 04:07
• 12 Sanctus - Benedictus 03:09
• 13 Agnus Dei 04:36
• Total Runtime 01:12:07

Info for Allegri: Masses, Miserere & Motets

Gregorio Allegri deserves better than for his reputation to rest on just one piece; alongside his iconic Miserere, which never fails to cast its spell on listeners, The Choir of Kings College London present premiere recordings of two of his five surviving Masses: Missa in Lectulo Meo and Missa Christus Resurgens. Richly-wrought with consummate skill in the prima prattica of Palestrina, these glowing performances shed new light on a muchloved composer. Born in 1582, Allegri an Italian priest, singer, and composer in the stile antico tradition spent much of his life working in Roman churches, joining the papal choir in 1629 and eventually becoming its choirmaster. But it is for the Miserere that he is bestknown a work so powerful that Mozart is thought to have written out the full score after hearing it only once, allowing him to circumnavigate the rule that prohibited anyone from removing any parts of the score from the Sistine Chapel, where it was guarded.

Much in demand as a choral conductor, David Trendell has been College Organist, Lecturer in Music and Director of the Chapel Choir at King's since 1992. Now considered one of the finest mixed-voice university choirs in the country, performing music from the fourteenth century to the present day, the twenty-five choral scholars and two organs scholars bring great musical intensity to Allegri's music in these luminous performances. Trendell's scholarly acumen is also brought to bear with his own edition of Missa In lectulo meo performed here for the first time since the early seventeenth century.

„Over the past 20 years, David Trendell has built up a student body of sound at Kings College London that now must rank itself among the best university chapel choirs in the UK. The timbre is fresh, fruity and vibrant, the young voices issuing a quality of a cappella ensemble that combines Italianate ruggedness with English smoothness, a fusion that is the perfect vehicle for the wholesome Allegri Masses, Motets, and famous Miserere on this disc. The Miserere is cast in sturdy, perfectly intoned fashion, but more intriguing are the delicious eight-part Missa In lecturo meo and Missa Christus resurgens, together with their derivative motets, richly moulded with silken polyphony and antiphonal drama. (The Scotsman)

'This disc is particularly valuable for demonstrating that there was far more to Allegri that the all-too-ubiquitous Miserere. Perhaps inevitably that s included here and in a good performance ... overall I was most impressed with the performances on this disc. The voices are young and fresh and the choral sound is consistently pleasing. But what strikes the listener more than anything else is the enthusiasm of these singers. There s no doubt that they re enjoying singing this music and their commitment shines like a beacon ... The recorded sound is very good.' (John Quinn, Music Web International)

“The Choir of King's College London deliver performances that are secure and confident for the most part, though in the slower sections of the Masses in particular...pitch and tone quality tend to falter. But their advocacy gives Allegri's music the sympathetic hearing it undoubtedly warrants.” (Gramophone Magazine)

“This is a performance [of the Miserere] to rank with the best, the varying textures and extreme registers stylishly handled, the balance and blend of the voice well-nigh perfect.” (International Record Review)

The Choir of King's College London
David Trendell, conductor

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Booklet for Allegri: Masses, Miserere & Motets