Renaissance Radio - The Tallis Scholars

25 February 2013, 17:51 | Updated: 27 February 2013, 17:32

Let the Tallis Scholars transport you back to a golden age of choral music. Drive Featured Album, 25 February 2013.

Anyone familiar with the well-known cornerstones of the Renaissance choral canon, including the enchanting Agnus Dei from Byrd's Mass for Four Voices, and Tallis' If Ye Love Me, will also be pleased to discover some less familiar gems from two of Britain's finest Renaissance composers. There's a surprising variety of musical styles to be discovered - listen to Tallis' chorale, God Grant We Grace for unexpected moments of gloriously indulgent harmony.

Fans of Allegri's Miserere might be dismayed that verses 7-18 are omitted from this recording, to create a version lasting just under six minutes; the choral sound is so strikingly pure, that it's easy to will the music to continue.

The effortless blending of the individual voices is particularly striking. Listen out for the cascading lines of music which gradually emerge from the texture of a lesser-known Renaissance masterpiece: the Agnus Dei from Josquin's Missa L'homme armé sexti toni.

A beautiful journey through the religious music of an bygone age, expertly executed by the angelic voices of the Tallis Scholars.