The Tallis Scholars / Peter Phillips (dir)
Gimell CDGIM 053[76:22]

★★★★★

‘Astonishingly original’ opines Peter Phillips about Sheppard’s polyphony. He wants more of Sheppard’s music ‘out there’ and, yes, would that this were so! Here, the captivating vistas of the six-voice Missa Cantate appear alongside stunningly inventive examples of chant-based responsories, hymns and votive antiphons. Alternatim structures highlight the kaleidoscopic variety of Sheppard’s inspirations in music of sublime nobility, holding to Roman certainties as England ricochets between rulers, technically fascinating, upliftingly sonorous and spiritually nourishing. The singing is immaculate and joyously committed in an admirably clear and immediate recording. A composer of genius? Absolutely.