Sebastián de Vivanco (c.1551-1622)

01 Ecce sacerdos magnus (instr.)
02 KYRIE from Missa In manus tuas
03 GLORIA from Missa In manus tuas
04 In manus tuas
05 Caritas Pater est
06 CREDO from Missa In manus tuas
07 Quis dabit capite meo
08 Versa est in luctum (instr.)
09 Circumdederunt me
10 SANCTUS from Missa In manus tuas
11 Christus factus est
12 Assumpta est Maria
13 O quam suavis est
14 AGNUS DEI from Missa In manus tuas
15 Magnificat Quarti toni
16 Cantate Domino

In the wake of their great artistic and commercial successes with Guerrero's Requiem (GCD 921402) and Morales' Assumption Mass (GCD 921404), the Orchestra of the Renaissance, again directed by the tandem Richard Cheetham - Michael Noone, are now presenting a CD with music by Sebastián de Vivanco (c.1551-1622), who stands, without doubt, as one of the most neglected composers of the Spanish Golden Age. Ironically, the greatest contribution to this neglect is the accident of his having been born in Ávila at about the same time as that other colossus of Spanish music from Ávila, Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611). Blinded, perhaps, by the stunning brilliance of Victoria, scholars and performers alike have been slow to discern an equally bright star sparkling in the same constellation.

This disc is the first on the market dedicated exclusively to the works of Vivanco, and features many world première recordings. The programme, built around the impressive Missa In manus tuas, reveals Vivanco's compositional abilities in all their splendour and variety. The Orchestra of the Renaissance enhances this collection of pieces with its mastery of the combined use of voices and instruments, a performing practice very common in Spanish Cathedrals during the Renaissance. The pairing of fine British singers with a wind ensemble lead by French specialists Jean-Pierre Canihac and Francis Mercet has given this group its stunningly beautiful, unique sound, widely regarded as the most exciting accomplishment of recent years in the performance of Spanish polyphony.