The Angel's Voice

"[The Missa is] a work particularly suited to the fresh clarity of the sound of Ensemble La Sestina, comprising only eight voices. The singers respond with simplicity and wonder to Guerrero's combination of intricate melodic writing and tightly woven counterpoint"
(International Record Review)

The Swiss-based ensemble La Sestina - founded in 1999 by Adriano Giardina - specializes in the interpretation of polyphonic music of the Renaissance, both secular and sacred.

Along with Victoria and Morales, Francisco Guerrero (1528 - 1599) was one of the great Spanish composers of polyphonic music in the Renaissance, but is unusual in that he also wrote secular music. His works for high voices were used to represent the Archangel Gabriel.

The centerpiece of this recording is the beautiful four-part Missa L'homme armé. The work is based on the secular medieval song L'homme armé, which was very popular in Guerrero's time and appears in settings by many Renaissance composers.