Gramophone Magazine
August 2020
Editor's Choice

Cinquecento

Cleve: Carole qui veniens
Cleve: Missa Rex Babylonis
Cleve: Es wel uns Gott genedig sein
Cleve: Laudate Dominum
Cleve: Timete Dominum
Cleve: Credo quod redemptor
Cleve: Carole cui nomen
Vaet: Rex Babylonis

However cultivated the European centres of Habsburg imperial power may have been, few could regularly have boasted musicians of the calibre of Cinquecento. Their ongoing exploration of Franco-Flemish repertoire from the sixteenth century uncovers major works by Johannes de Cleve and Jacobus Vaet.

‘It’s a beautiful sound ... they just blend perfectly together ... the vocal control is quite remarkable’ – BBC Record Review (Palestrina - Lamentations Book 2, CDA68284)

‘As always, absolutely flawless ... even by the best standards of today their ensemble, balance and intonation are beyond reproach’ – Gramophone (Guyot - Te Deum laudamus & other sacred music, CDA68180)

"In Timete Dominum and Credo quod redemptor, technical fluency is matched with accents of real poignancy...As one has come to expect, Cinquecento’s singers render these touches admirably, while intricate textures are delivered with exemplary clarity. While the album’s tenor is undeniably solemn, their sonority, soft and intimate yet full, gives real pleasure. Of all their recordings devoted to ‘minor masters’, this strikes me as one of the finest." - Gramophone Magazine, August 2020.