The Essential Ockeghem (2006)

Compiled from a series of nine recordings, this disc called The Essential Ockeghem by the Clerks' Group led by Edward Wickham is an ideal single-disc introduction to the work of the late Medieval master. There's the breadth of the repertoire -- with two spiritual motets, three secular songs, a six-movement mass sequence drawn from six different masses, plus an excerpt from his Requiem, every facet of the composer's sublime artistry is amply represented -- and there're the depth of the performances -- with a cool tone, a ... Read More

Compiled from a series of nine recordings, this disc called The Essential Ockeghem by the Clerks' Group led by Edward Wickham is an ideal single-disc introduction to the work of the late Medieval master. There's the breadth of the repertoire -- with two spiritual motets, three secular songs, a six-movement mass sequence drawn from six different masses, plus an excerpt from his Requiem, every facet of the composer's sublime artistry is amply represented -- and there're the depth of the performances -- with a cool tone, a clear ensemble, an immaculate technique, and an impeccable sense of style, Wickham's one-to-a-part choir sings Ockeghem's counterpoint as if the vocalists were born singing it. But if you've never heard the composer before, the real reason to hear this disc is to hear the music, or, to be more precise, to experience the music. Because, even coming from a time that implicitly and devoutly believed that music was the art that could touch the infinite, Ockeghem's music was manifestly in... Read Less