in Early Music Today (Mar, 2014)
Victoria’s set of Tenebraewas published in 1585 in a collection that included the Lamentations of Jeremiah. It consists of six groups of three responsories, two for each of the three days leading up to Easter. Sections for four-part choir – the responds – frame the versicle, where Victoria not only reduces the texture but varies the scoring. What is not varied is the tonality: it would be a mistake to play the disc in one go. Nigel Short avoids monotony through tempo changes and dynamic contrast: some sections are splendidly vigorous; others – the end of ‘Seniores populi’, for instance – are magically rapt. ‘Tenebrae factae sunt’ is appropriately transposed …
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in Choir & Organ (Jan, 2014)
What sets Tenebrae’s interpretations of Victoria’s sublime polyphony apart? Some of the UK’s finest ensembles approach him with similarly exalted levels of accuracy, commitment and refinement of phrasing and tone, yet Tenebrae’s performances also inhabit that rarified atmosphere of devotional intent which brings us nearer to Victoria the priest. This disc, like their recent recording of his Requiem, bridges the spiritual gulf between church and concert hall, and their appreciation of the text and its meaning is especially profound. The blend is gorgeous and awareness of individual lines and voices always serves both the music and its meaning. …
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