Francisco Garro (c.1556-1623) DOUBLE ALBUM REVIEW

Garro: Missa O Quam Pulchra Es & Cantate Domino
Cupertinos, Luís Toscano
Hyperion CDA 68438


Francisco Garro: From Fire & Earthquake
Ensemble Pro Victoria, Toby Ward
Delphian DCD34305

You would have been hard-pushed to find recordings of music by Francesco Gallo before these two high-quality releases (both recorded in the summer of 2023). Intriguingly, there is only one overlap between them, and even then, they take a significantly different approach to performance from each other resulting in a niche corner of Renaissance polyphony bliss for record collectors like me!

Starting with previous Gramophone award winners Cupertinos, in what must be the last album recorded with Luís Toscano as director, their unique approach sees members of the group each edit individual mass movements of Missa O quam pulchra es from a 1609 Lisbon choirbook whilst the ensemble's new director, Jose Abreu, edited and reconstructed Missa Cantate Domino from the 1609 Lisbon partbooks. Garro was born in Alfaro, Spain but appointed to the Royal Chapel in Lisbon, the music chosen ranges from his rather luxurious imitative polyphony of In principio erat verbum and Asperges mei to the forward-looking and energetic polychoral style of the 8vv Missa Cantate Domino. Imitative textures suit Cupertinos well as they record in a generous acoustic and favour gentle pacing and long, languishing phrases. Theirs is an Iberian polyphony in dreamy, soft hues, at times utterly sublime. What they conjure here in terms of an attractive, tranquil atmosphere also pervades the polychoral styles where larger homophonic chunks of music bounce from side-to-side without much dramatic thrust. To be sure they get quite excited in the Christe section of Missa Cantate Domino, but I would prefer a little more of that rhythmic drive throughout if possible.

An markedly different approach is presented on From Fire & Earthquake by Ensemble Pro Victoria directed by Toby Ward from performing from editions by Gareth Thomas. Beginning with the same Asperges me, they are joined by Cornett, sackbutt, harp, lute, bass viol and organ emphasising that one of those 1609 publications includes a Basso seguente (a bass line which 'follows' the lowest voice). They also record in a pleasant but more modest acoustic than Cupertinos which combines with their overall brisker tempi to give a greater proto-Baroque impression of Garro's music and a bright clarity to each line. [...]

To read the full text of this review please visit Gramophone.co.uk (May 2026)