Fading cover
Released

Fading might seem like an odd title for a collection of choral music that spans six centuries, but the organizing theme is that of the fading of day: these are works (by Thomas Tallis, Nicolas Gombert, Joanna Marsh, Hildegard von Bingen and others) that were either written for the daily Office of Compline or that evoke that same early-evening feeling. Carlo Gesualdo’s gently anguished “Illumina face team” rubs shoulders with Veljo Tormis’ settings of traditional Estonian lullabies and Alonso Lobo’s “Versa set in luctum” — all sung with the Gesualdo Six’s typically sweet blend and impeccable intonation.

Rick Anderson

Recommended by

Suggestions
The Sacred Flame cover

The Sacred Flame

Cambridge Singers, John Rutter
Gabriel Jackson: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ cover

Gabriel Jackson: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Benjamin Nicholas, Oxford Contemporary Sinfonia, Emma Tring, Guy Cutting, Choir of Merton College, Oxford
James MacMillan: Christmas Oratorio (Live) cover

James MacMillan: Christmas Oratorio (Live)

Mark Elder, Lucy Crowe, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Roderick Williams, London Philharmonic Choir
Come All Ye Songsters cover

Come All Ye Songsters

Elizabeth Kenny, Carolyn Sampson, Jonathan Manson, Laurence Cummings
Estonian Religious Folk Chorales cover

Estonian Religious Folk Chorales

Margo Kõlar, Heinavanker
Muffat: Missa in Labore Requies cover

Muffat: Missa in Labore Requies

Les Cornets Noirs, Cappella Murensis
Brahms: Vier ernste Gesänge cover

Brahms: Vier ernste Gesänge

Matthias Goerne, Christoph Eschenbach
Brixi: Magnificat. Music From Eighteenth-Century Prague cover

Brixi: Magnificat. Music From Eighteenth-Century Prague

Hipocondria Ensemble, Jan Hádek, Jaromír Nosek, Hana Blažíková