A Wondrous Mystery: Renaissance Choral Music for Christmas

"Here, the 12-voice ensemble Stile Antico, which specializes in Renaissance polyphony, continues (the Christmas) tradition, with a consistently entertaining and often enlightening program of mostly late-16th century works by "continental" composers, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, some well-known (Praetorius; Clemens; Hassler) and others infrequently heard (Handl; Eccard). A sort of anchor for the program is Jacobus Clemens' Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis, whose movements are separated by motets by Handl, Eccard, and Hassler, and a Magnificat by Hieronymus Praetorius. You won't hear finer singing anywhere; and the Praetorius and Handl pieces will guarantee you'll return to this disc more often than just for the holidays." (1010 ClassicsToday Oct 2015)

"The Lutheran works are sung with sprightly and attractive energy...Stile Antico have a considered, homogeneous sound that is extremely sonically beautiful … However one prefers polyphony to be sung, there is no denying that this is sure to be a justly popular Christmas choice. It is a smooth and assured album and both the ensemble sound and the individual voices are extremely attractive." Gramophone Magazine, December 2015

"Clemens's gentle 'Missa Pastores' threads through carols and motets that include Praetorius's setting of 'Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen', but there is a richness too, in Jacob Handel's 'Mirabile Mysterium', which depicts the mystery of God born as man, the chromatic crunches that slip and slide in and out of reach are intoxicating." The Independent on Sunday, 13th December 2015

"every bit as excellent as we have come to expect from Stile Antico." MusicWeb International, 10th December 2015

"Stile Antico has produced another pure-voiced, imaginatively programmed disc." The Observer, 13th December 2015

"remarkably with "A Wondrous Mystery" Stile Antico have created a festive album that you'll be more than happy to play any week of the year … Stile Antico delightfully evoke the spirit of the season without any of the associated clichés." Classical Ear, 29th January 2016