Jacob Obrecht - Missa Grecorum & motets

The Guardian 100

The Brabant Ensemble/Rice
(Hyperion)

The Netherlands composer Jacob Obrecht (1457/8-1505), who worked variously in Bruges, Antwerp and Italy, was long overshadowed by his illustrious contemporary Josquin des Prez. Thanks in part to a new scholarly edition and a greater interest in all the music written at this period, Obrecht’s originality, and his innovative solutions to large mass settings such as the Missa Grecorum featured here, are being given their due. The mixed voice Brabant Ensemble has built its reputation on Renaissance sacred music, and tackles Obrecht’s rich, sensuous textures and tangy dissonances with both purity and robustness. The long “amen” in the motet O beate Basili, on disc for the first time, is especially splendid.