King's Singers CDs - King's Singers, Thomas Tallis: Spem in Alium (CD)

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Spem in alium

King's Singers, Thomas Tallis: Spem in Alium (CD)

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There are several theories as to Thomas Tallis' motivation in composing "Spem in Alium," but there is no dispute that it is one of the treasures of Elizabethan English music. The King's Singers' electing to undertake performance of this piece scored for 40 individual voices, divided into eight choirs of five voices each is amazing. In their words, "...we realized that six into 40 might not go, and that the finished recording -- overdubbed, click-tracked, edited and mixed -- might not sound as successful as we had collectively heard it in our heads." Ultimately they found that, "This version is better than we could have hoped for. With each of the forty parts balanced, with no weak voices, no wrong notes or rhythms, and with everyone singing on the beat, the grandeur and weight of the music combines with the rather more penitential text to produce something very special." We are sure you will agree! The CD also contains a 6:20 minute interview with the group discussing the techniques used in bringing off this tour de force.

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