Cantate Domino: La Capella Sistina e la musica dei Papi

Sistine Chapel Choir / Massimo Palombella

Deutsche Grammophon 479 5300 GH

The Sistine Chapel Choir celebrate their musical heritage through a selection of renaissance sacred music recorded inside the Sistine Chapel. Their programme includes works by Palestrina, and Allegri’s Miserere as preserved in the Sistine Codex of 1661. It is a beautifully recorded disc, as much a celebration of the building as of the music or the voices. They are a large ensemble, 30 ragazzi and 20 men with high tenors replacing falsettist-altos, and their performances favour low pitch resulting in a richer timbre than English counterparts. At times they are reminiscent of Westminster Cathedral Choir under George Malcolm, but the trebles are more rounded.

To read the full text of this review please visit www.gramophone.co.uk (Deecember issue 2015)