Du Mont - O Mysterium

The Guardian 60

Ensemble Correspondances/Daucé
(Harmonia Mundi)

Devotion takes many forms, and the private church music of the French royal chapel in the late 17th century cultivated a deeply sensual kind of piety. These motets by the longtime servant of the court, Henry Du Mont, explore a rather limited expressive range with great skill. Their survival is fragmentary and conductor Sébastien Daucé has skilfully rewritten some of the inner parts: his singers include a wonderfully flexible but precise bass and a well-blended ensemble; the fascinating texts include Pierre Perrin’s intense hymn to the Trinity, O Mysterium. But 12 motets in a row is more than even Louis XIV would have heard at one sitting.