There will be many recordings of Byrd's music in this 400th anniversary year of his death, but few will match the superb balance and poise of these performances from Stile Antico.

expressive, scrupulously balanced performances.

These are notoriously difficult pieces but Stile Antico sing them with great poise, particularly the complex flourishes in Propter veritatem.

[Stile] splendidly showcase Byrd’s intense imagination, exuberance and general magnificence, especially when the composer’s vocal lines spin off into repeated phrases, tumbling over each other in rapturous cascades...whatever the dimensions and forces used, our spirits are lifted by Byrd’s powerful art and the singers’ tonal variety, expressive warmth and terrific ensemble panache.