Gramophone award nominees Cinquecento add another glorious recording to their Hyperion discography. This vocal sextet, comprising six professional singers from five European countries, are rapidly becoming one of the most admired early music ensembles of the time. The lithe, clear yet rich and warm tones of the six singers are the perfect instruments for the complex polyphony of the sixteenth century. Their profound collective and individual musicianship, mellifluous phrasing, perfect intonation and commitment to their chosen repertoire are clearly apparent in this gem of a disc.

The year 2021 will mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Philippe de Monte. This Flemish Renaissance master was one of the greatest composers of his generation. He held the prestigious position of Hofkapellmeister to the Imperial Court for thirty-five years, first in Vienna and then in Prague. He composed more music than any other composer during the second half of the sixteenth century, producing close to eight hundred works; these included secular and sacred madrigals; forty chansons, forty masses, two hundred and fifty motets, and a handful of other sacred works.

In their third disc for Hyperion, the acclaimed vocal ensemble Cinquecento continue their exploration of the rich repertoire engendered in the Habsburg court. The prolific composer De Monte, Kapellmeister to the Emperor Maximilian II, wrote over a thousand madrigals as well as hundreds of sacred works, and the expressive aspects of the madrigal infuse his sacred music delightfully. His Missa Ultimi miei sospiri contains the constant interplay between groups of voices and dramatic word-setting which are features of the madrigal genre. The motets recorded here cover many Biblical and liturgical subjects and demonstrate the wide range of techniques and styles used by the composer.

Coupling powerful interpretations with path-breaking scholarship, the choir Contrapunctus presents music by the best-known composers as well as unfamiliar masterpieces. Directed by Owen Rees, a specialist in music of the 16th and 17 centuries, the group presents imaginative programmes revealing previously undiscovered musical treasures and throwing new light on familiar works.

Während des De Monte-Jahres veröffentlichten Capilla Flamenca und das Bläserensemble Oltremontano (auf Initiative und unter der Leitung von Bart Demuyt) eine CD mit Motetten von zwei flämischen Meistern, die überwiegend an den habsburgischen Höfen tätig waren. Philippus de Monte war Hofkapellmeister in Wien und Prag und Alexander Utendal wurde Vize-Hofkapellmeister von Erzherzog Ferdinand von Tirol, dem Bruder Kaiser Maximilians.

The blend between the voices is finely controlled, the tone mellow and the tuning spectacularly accurate, giving rise to an organ-like sonority that is genuinely thrilling,” wrote Gramophone magazine, praising the Hilliard Ensemble’s four singers, who excelled in an extraordinary variety of music over a 40-year career. This seven-CD collection extends from the Middle Ages to the Baroque, offering music by composers from England, France, Flanders and Germany.