Palestrina: Missa Confitebor Tibi Domine – David Hill

Choir & Organ (Jul, 2018)
I stood by the tomb of Claudio Monteverdi in Venice to pay my respects a few days before beginning work on this column and, as Venetian-themed recordings threaten to flood my desk like a musical aqua alta, La Serenissima is to the fore. First, though, I’ll swing down to Rome for a brace of Palestrina discs: his eight-voice Missa Confitebor tibi Domine with performances of sensitivity, vigour, remarkable maturity and confidence from the Yale Schola Cantorum in the ever capable hands of David Hill, sung with energy, legato, and admirable ensemble. How delightful, also, to hear a clutch of ricercars and other transcriptions played by cornett and organ. If you’re collecting …