As usual, conductor Paul Hillier spices his program with several obscure or unknown gems: the "anonymous" Ah, my dear son; William Cornysh's Woefully arrayed, a gruesome, emotionally intense utterance of Christ on the cross; and Sheryngham's Ah, gentle Jesu, a fascinating dialogue between a "sinner" and Jesus. And the fourth verse of John Browne's Jesu, mercy--another impassioned, distraught contemplation of the cross ("Jesu, mercy, how may this be?")--is one of the more brutal and profoundly moving examples of English Renaissance sacred choral music you'll ever hear. The closing In pace by Christopher Tye is an unqualified masterpiece that deserves repeated, careful listening.

This choir has everything right, including the vocal sound--open, free, unobstructed, with an utterly natural clarity and brightness that seems a common characteristic of Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian singers--and ensemble intelligence and maturity. The recorded sound can be somewhat gritty in the loudest moments, but it's not really an issue in the context of such excellent performances and outstanding music. (Incidentally, it appears that the name of this group, formerly identified as Vocal Group Ars Nova, or just Ars Nova, is now Ars Nova Copenhagen--you'll find them in our database as simply Ars Nova.)