This disc contains three of Dunstaple's well-known motets – Preco preheminencie, Veni veni and Albanus – but the rest are rarely performed. For some of the delicious antiphons, it's hard to see why: Salve reginamater mire is particularly striking – one of those pieces that sounds far more impressive than it looks on the page. There are also some total novelties. The canonic Gloria was discovered in Russia: it's a massively inventive work that adds a substantial new dimension to our knowledge of Dunstaple. And Descendi in ortum meum, though discovered and published a quarter of a century ago, surely stands as the latest known work of its composer: a magnificent piece that builds an entirely new kind of edifice with the materials of his characteristic style. Most impressive of all, though, is the Mass, Rex seculorum, which ends the disc. This may or may not be by Dunstaple – which is probably why it has never been recorded. Whoever the composer, though, it's a key work in the history of the polyphonic mass cycle, brimming with invention.
The Orlando Consort has a wonderfully forward style that beautifully matches the music and helps the listener to understand why Dunstaple achieved such an enormous reputation on the continental mainland. If they're occasionally a touch rough, these are classic performances that will be hard to challenge.