Coro della Radio Svizzera - Palestrina: Motets, Missa sine nomine (1998)

Palestrina was certainly a great composer, but "fascinating" is not a word usually associated with his music. Well, this is a fascinating Palestrina record. The performances are smooth and skillful, as are those on many other Palestrina recordings; the real interest is conductor Diego Fasolis's exploration of the different scoring options possible for performing this mellifluous music: unaccompanied single voices (the Missa sine nomine and Magnificat); choir with organ (Laudate Dominum, Sicut cervus, and Fundamenta eius); solo voices with wind instruments (Nos autem gloriari and Tu es Petrus); and even double chorus (soloists with organ and choir and with wind instruments in the Stabat Mater). Fasolis demonstrates particular skill and taste in matching works with performing forces; he and his musicians make every choice sound credible. --Matthew Westphal