Josquin Desprez: In memoria mea

Dr. Rebecca Stewart together with the vocal ensemble Seconda Pract!ca explores the music of Josquin Desprez and his contemporaries Brumel and Willaert, commemorating the 500th anniversary of his death. The central piece of this recording is the famous „Missa Mater patris“ by Josquin.

"If you’ve ever caught yourself regretting the uniformity of performance approaches to Renaissance vocal music, this disc may be for you. Rebecca Stewart has been an idiosyncratic voice in the field for many years (not least as erstwhile director of Cappella Pratensis), championing alternative approaches to tempo and vocal production. Here she works her peculiar magic on Josquin [...]. The default dynamic is soft, though waxing and waning constantly, sometimes on the same note. Her singers, particularly Cappella Pratensis, have sounded more astringent in the past (another Stewart trademark), but here they hit a sweet spot that tickles the ear without becoming grating ..." (Gramophone Magazine 12/2021)