John Sheppard: Media vita in morte sumus

When the Renaissance composer John Sheppard (c.1515-1558) shines he is beyond glorious, and the monumental six-part Media vita in morte sumus is undoubtedly among the greatest of his creations.

However, recent research has meticulously reexamined the liturgical sources of Media vita demonstrating that the widely accepted structure of the work may have long been misunderstood. Using research from scholars John Harper and Jason Smart, the Early music consort Alamire with director David Skinner are now able to shed new light on one of the greatest masterworks from Tudor England in this first recording of Media vita in its newly reordered version.

In the press

This new release from Alamire is magnificent and unmissibly poignant in these times of pandemic. – Edward Breen (Gramophone)

In terms of the value of the music and the quality of the performance, not to mention the considerable amount of research behind it, this recording is a snip. It is recommended without hesitation. Don’t even wait just a minute – buy it now. – Richard Turbet (Early Music Review)

I enjoyed this disc immensely, the sort of scholarship that has gone into it exactly appeals to me, but on top of that the performance from David Skinner and Alamire is anything but dryly academic, and their sonorous approach to the music brings it alive. – Robert Hugill (Planet Hugill)

This is now a little like comparing chalk and cheese given the differences between versions, but the main reference for many years has been the Tallis Scholars on CDGIM016 and also available on their compilation ‘The Essential Tallis Scholars’ in a version that comes in at 21:33, a fairly typical timing for performances in the current catalogues. The Tallis Scholars’ sound is indeed higher and lighter than that of Alamire, which gives the music greater heft and impact and, excellent as the Tallis Scholars are, I prefer Alamire. A little closer in sonority to Alamire but with fewer voices and a more chamber-music acoustic is Contrapunctus on the Signum Classics label. This version is again very good, but doesn’t have the sweep and grandeur of Alamire, so again the laurels go to them. For atmosphere and mystery I have much admiration for Stile Antico’s all-Sheppard collection on Harmonia Mundi HMU807509DI, but by comparison with Alamire their sound now seems a little too generalised and distant, and the tempi just a bit too pedestrian. With Alamire just listen to the way the Antiphona: Media vita in morte sumus opens out from almost nothing into something that is as overwhelming in its beauty today as it must have been in Tudor times, and certainly the equal of anything by Tallis. The recording gives all of the voices plenty of presence, allowing for clarity while managing to hold onto that essential balance between singers and the acoustic space. All of this brings a tear to this reviewer’s eye, and anything that can have that effect deserves investing in. – Dominy Clements (MusicWeb International)