The sacred music of
Josquin Desprez
is traditionally sung by performers aspiring to purity of tone and vocal blend, and perhaps some have gone too far in applying those same desiderata to his secular songs. The vocal octet
Cut Circle
(the name refers to a notational device of the Renaissance) perhaps goes the other direction, singing
Josquin
motets with a gutsy vocal timbre that can be quite a shock at first. One doesn't have to sample very far here to realize how unconventional
's interpretations are as the female vocal parts enter with an almost grinding sound in a tempo much faster than is usual for this supposedly ethereal piece of prayer. Sung this way, the individual lines emerge in stark clarity, and director
Jesse Rodin
seems to be tailoring readings that fit the current theory that Renaissance motets were sung in small, intimate side chapels rather than in big cathedral sonic expanses. In the secular pieces on the second half of the program,
is a bit less shocking. Other performers have forged a distinct, more informal sound for the secular pieces, but the performances here are still impressive. They have a good deal of humor (sample the famed
Faulte d'Argent
), and they can tone down the buzzing sound a bit in the fetching
Baisiez moy
. The multi-lingual
Scaramella
is positively exuberant.
is a vocal octet, perhaps the black belt in singing a cappella vocal music, but in these textures, the cutting sounds of the singers work well. This release earned a Gramophone Classical Music Award nomination in 2024. ~ James Manheim