“One of the joys of Ex Cathedra’s approach to music making is that they often approach things in an unexpected way. It was, therefore, typical of them that a concert celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Anton Bruckner did not comprise entirely of his music. Instead, they gave us a glorious selection from his vocal output, but contextualised it with the music of other composers.

“Thus, after an organ improvisation, the choir rose to sing two movements from Palestrina’s Missa sine nomine. But in a case of authenticity eating itself, this was a historically informed interpretation of how it might have been heard, and perhaps performed, by Bruckner – accompanied by organ with German Latin pronunciation and a robustness of tone to which audiences are no longer accustomed when hearing renaissance music…

“Similarly, Allegri’s Miserere mei was presented as a familiar object seen from an unfamiliar angle in an edition by Ben Bryam-Wigfield that draws variously on the original Allegri, highly ornamented 18th Century versions, and 20th Century approaches to the work.

“Ex Cathedra’s performance of Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor, complete with wind and brass players from the CBSO, was quite simply glorious. Players and singers brought particular pathos to the Kyrie, bringing out the searing suspensions and intense chromaticism. The Gloria & Credo contrasted sections of immensity with passages of quietude in an expert reading by conductor, Jeffrey Skidmore. A magnificent conclusion to a magnificent concert.”

Read in full at www.reviewsgate.com