As of autumn 2000, it has been two years since the last new Tallis Scholars release. Do they still have the same high, clear sound and immaculate execution that made them famous? This recording isn't state-of-the-year-2000 Tallis Scholars (no recording date is given, though it has been in the can for several years), but for better and worse, Peter Phillips and his singers sound just like they always have. Their performance is impeccably tuned, perfectly blended, atmospheric, and phrased and delivered in just the same smooth, suave Palestrina-esque style they use whatever the music they sing. Happily, that style suits the music of Cristóbal de Morales (who was slightly older than Victoria and every bit his equal) very nicely. The Missa Si bona suscepimus is a real beauty, and we're very fortunate that Phillips has revived it. Morales's mass setting is sweeter and more consoling than its model, a gently melancholy motet by Philippe Verdelot, thanks to the extra treble part Morales added to the motet's five voices. If there's a serous flaw in the Tallis Scholars' interpretation, it's that the tempos are just slow enough that one can be lulled into a lovely haze and lose track of the musical source material and the wonderful changes Morales rings on it. The disc closes with a stately performance of what was Morales's most famous motet: Andreas Christi famulus, composed for the meeting of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1546 (attended by the kings Henry VIII, François I, and Charles V), turns out to have been composed by Charles's chapel master, Thomas Crecquillon. It is a magnificent work in any case, and it rounds out a most welcome disc. --Matthew Westphal
