11th November 2007
Sackbutt: Andrew van der Beek Readings: Canon David Hoyle
Remembrance Sunday actually fell on November 11th this year and it was most fittingly marked by the Cappella Singers performing the beautiful Spanish Renaissance masterpiece of 1605, the Requiem by Tomás Luis de Victoria. The Lady Chapel at Gloucester Cathedral was tightly packed for this occasion, which perhaps dampened the acoustic a little and affected the balance, but it was a beautiful setting in which to hear this wonderful music.
Personally I prefer to hear plainsong sung by male voices only, but Philip Colls kept his considerable forces under such good control that the right mood was sustained. The performance was greatly enhanced by Canon Hoyle's latin readings.
The Cappella Singers are obviously a very dedicated group, and we are most grateful to them and to their conductor for bringing so much beautiful music to splendid life for us.
Winifred Brown
16 November 2007
Background information: This six-part work, published in 1605 under the title Officium Defunctorum, sex vocibus, in obitu et obsequiis sacrae imperatricis, is one of Victoria's finest, most beautiful, and most refined pieces. It was written for the funeral of Empress Maria, who had been his employer since 1586, and who was the sister of Philip II and wife of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.
The Cappella Singers: Registered Charity no 262530