VOICES OF ASCENSION
Prince Of Music/Palestrina (Delos)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) was one of the most popular composers in 16th century Rome. The Pope recognized Palestrina's career in sacred music by inscribing "Princeps Musicae" on Palestrina's coffin in one of the side chapels of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. To many fans of sacred choral music, Palestrina remains the Prince of Music as he composed 1,000 pieces of sacred music, including masses, motets, offertories and other choral works. This Delos disc contains 58 minutes of relaxing Renaissance music ranging from a 6-part Mass for Pope Marcellus (Missa Papae Marcelli) to three 4-part bonus tracks. On The Prince of Music, Conductor Dennis Keene and the Voices of Ascension show the power of sacred choral music: if music ever produced an antidote for the stresses of daily life, whether that life is struck by the plague (like that of Palestrina's family) or young dotcom turks doing an IPO, this Delos disc is it. Keene's singers seem to float effortlessly through the Gloria and Credo of the Missa Papae Marcelli and show how transcendental great choral music can be. Keene's liner notes provide a short course in the history of Palestrina's music and the times in which he lived as well as a line-by-line translation from Latin to English. Delos has a winner in the Prince of Music: Keene and the Voices of Ascension do both the composer and his inspiration justice.

Track List:

Missa Papae Marcelli * Motets and Offertories * Missa Papae Marcelli * Bonus Tracks: Alma Redemptoris Mater * Sicut Cervus * Sitivit Anima Mea

© 2000 - Eric Steiner