Gramophone Magazine
December 2021
Editor's Choice

Rebecca Stewart, Cantus Modalis, Seconda Pratica

Josquin: Nymphes Des Bois
Brumel, A: Mater Patris
Josquin: Missa Mater Patris

Dr. Rebecca Stewart together with the vocal ensemble Seconda Pract!ca explores the music of Josquin Desprez and his contemporaries Brumel and Willaert, commemorating the 500th anniversary of his death. The central piece of this recording is the famous Missa Mater patris by Josquin. Founded in 2012 by international musicians gathered in The Netherlands for their studies, Seconda Prat!ca has become one of the leading ensembles of the new generation of early music performers. The ensemble’s main goal is to bridge the gaps between performers and audience, revitalizing western musical heritage by bringing it back to a shared living experience. We achieve this through a continuous mixing of media, performance, research and musical excellence. Since 2013 Seconda Prat!ca has become part of the EEEmerging project, an initiative of the European Comission to support young developing ensemble specializing in Early Music.

"If you’ve ever caught yourself regretting the uniformity of performance approaches to Renaissance vocal music, this disc may be for you." - Gramophone Magazine, December 2021.