The generation born around 1450 spawned a marvellous muchness of cosmopolitan, inventive and versatile musicians. While Josquin's discography grows ever more worthy of his achievement, his most exciting contemporaries are at last being accorded the attention that is their due.
Loyset Compere's surname may be freely translated as 'crony', which fits the composer's musical personality very nicely. Far from the intellectual preoccupations of Josquin or the existential Angst of La Rue, Compere typifies a less self-conscious idiom of straightforward formal schemes and easily remembered melodies. His versatility is evident from the sheer variety of musical types represented here: Seray je vostre mieulx amee embodies the courtly love tradition at its most lyrical, while the naughty Se j'ay parle and the frankly obscene Alons fere nos barbes are clear forerunners of the Parisian chanson of a generation or two later. But an ecstatic tone is not beyond Compere's reach: Asperges me, Domine is one of the most moving pieces I've heard in a while.
The Orlandos are at their best in this kind of melody-driven polyphony: phrasing and dynamic variations are sensitively and skilfully managed, though on one or two tracks their intonation is a little uncertain (for example in Se j'ay parle). Tempos, too, are generally well judged (though perhaps overly brisk in the case of the Mass). This stylish release marks a further step forward in the evolution of this elegant and intelligent ensemble; long may they thrive. The sound quality is admirable.'