Wert: Vox in Rama
Il Secondo libro de motetti a cinque voci

Collegium Regale, Cambridge/Stephen Cleobury

Signum - SIGCD131

Giaches de Wert (1535–96) was one of the multitude of foreigners who dominated Italian music in the mid-to-late 16th-century, with a marked influence on future generations, particularly Monteverdi.

For non-specialists, it is hard to sort out these composers and the numerous CDs which come to Musical Pointers for consideration and indeed flood the market. This one, from the Choral Scholars of King's College, Cambridge, has stood out during the current year's offerings for its sterling, committed singing and vivid recording, with an immediacy which holds the attention. The title motet, Vox in Rama, is particularly strong and memorable.