And the Sun Darkened —New York Polyphony (Bis 2277)
We’ve been holding this CD to feature the week before Easter since it features new and ancient works setting texts appropriate for Passiontide, the last two weeks of Lent. The longest work is Loyset Compère's Officium de Cruce (Office of the Cross) a 20-minute motet cycle that rivals the masterpieces of Franco-Flemish contemporaries Pierre de la Rue and Josquin des Prez, both of whose works also appear on the album. Additional pieces include English-born Norwegian composer Andrew Smith’s setting of Psalm 55 from 2011, Adrian Willaert’s Pater noster–Ave Maria from 5 centuries earlier, and the Estonian Cyrillus Kreek’s Psalm 22 written in 1914. Officium de Cruce is a unique and amazing piece, rather like a meditation on the Stations of the Cross, depicting the events of the crucifixion of Jesus. The album ends with Pierre de la Rue’s radiant O salutaris hostia, a prayerful closure to a thoughtfully programmed recording. NPR has praised New York Polyphony for a “rich, natural sound that’s larger and more complex than the sum of its parts.” This collection of pieces, which you can expect to hear on WCLV on Maundy Thursdays and Good Fridays to come, justifies that judgment.
Listen to an interview about And the Sun Darkened with New York Polyphony's Craig Phillips and WCLV's John Mills here.