Alamire with Fretwork, David Skinner - Thomas Tallis: Queen Katherine Parr & Songs of Reformation (2017)

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Alamire with Fretwork, David Skinner - Thomas Tallis: Queen Katherine Parr & Songs of Reformation (2017)

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English composer Thomas Tallis witnessed dramatic changes of religion under four monarchs, and his career accordingly represents the development of polyphonic church music in Renaissance England. Along with his student and fellow Roman Catholic, William Byrd, Tallis was one of the earliest composers to publish music under royal patent in England, and his works demonstrated the shifting doctrines and styles of liturgy in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. This 2017 Obsidian release features one piece with a text by Henry VIII's sixth and last wife, Katherine Parr, which gives the album its title, though the mix of Roman Catholic and Anglican pieces on the program suggests that "songs of Reformation" may be seen as one-sided. In any case, the performances by the vocal ensemble Alamire and the viol consort Fretwork put the emphasis on Tallis and his varied output, rather than on the theological preferences of royalty. The result is a well-balanced portrait of Tallis, and his choral music is given transparent textures and clear diction by the 14-voice choir, which maintains independence of parts while offering an evenly blended tone. Fretwork's introspective performances reflect the chamber music of the time, typically composed as free fantasias for viol consort, often based on fragments of chant. Tallis' When Jesus went (Salvator mundi II), the Solfaing Song, and the Fantasia (O sacrum convivium) show Fretwork's polished and affecting playing, which is particularly striking in passages with plangent cross-relations.

Review by Blair Sanderson, Allmusic.com

Picture a scene of domestic bliss: it is 1544, and while Henry VIII is planning another battle with France, his sixth wife Catherine Parr is writing English words for an anthem rallying support. Was she mindful of the fact that the last wife who displeased Henry had her head lopped off? Parr’s text, calling down thunderbolts and whirlwinds on the enemy and set to music by Thomas Tallis that he adapted from an early version of his anthem Gaude Gloriosa, was bloodthirsty enough to please the king. Alamire’s all-Tallis disc is fascinating not only for this anthem, Se [sic] Lord and Behold – it was discovered by the choir’s director, David Skinner, two years ago – but also as a document of some of the earliest liturgical music set to English texts: church music as anti-French propaganda. Alamire’s clean-toned delivery makes every word speak, and Fretwork’s viol consort pieces set the choral works effectively in relief.

Review by Erica Jeal, The Guardian

Everywhere [Skinner] negotiates an ear-opening path through the changing shapes and densities of Tallis’s ever-fluid formulations; the polyphony is delineated with laser-sharp precision, and he can rely on the singers’ impeccable tuning to energise the most audacious harmonies…Several unmissable discs have been spawned by 2017’s Reformation 500 celebrations; this very English perspective is right up there with the best.

Review by BBC Music Magazine (January 2018 Recording of the month)

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Alamire with Fretwork, David Skinner - Thomas Tallis: Queen Katherine Parr & Songs of Reformation (2017)

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Alamire with Fretwork, David Skinner - Thomas Tallis: Queen Katherine Parr & Songs of Reformation (2017)

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Alamire with Fretwork, David Skinner - Thomas Tallis: Queen Katherine Parr & Songs of Reformation (2017)

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