Roma Æterna

Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli + Victoria Missa O quam gloriosum

Roma æterna constructs a program centered on two of the greatest composers of the Renaissance: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Tomás Luis de Victoria. The Missa Papae Marcelli of Palestrina, the album’s centerpiece, is arguably one of the most celebrated works of the era. It is renowned as much for its technical brilliance as for the myth that it single-handedly rescued Western music from the ravages of papal censorship. For their performance, New York Polyphony is joined by Tim Keeler (countertenor), Andrew Fuchs (tenor) and Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone). The second half of the program continues with Victoria’s lyric but comparatively austere Missa O quam gloriosum for four voices.

press highlights

  • “New York Polyphony gets Renaissance right.”
    Washington Post
  • “The exceptional quality of the recording might also make listeners rejoice without end. Most highly recommended.”
    Early Music America

  • “They don’t just sing these two famous masses; they perform them.”
    Classics Today
  • “…blissfully confident and beautiful.”
    BBC Radio 3 – Record Review
  • “…resplendent and elegant.”
    San Francisco Chronicle
  • “…a performance…that is nothing short of revelatory.”
    AllMusic
  • 5 out of 5 stars
    Early Music Review
  • Performance 5 out of 5 stars
    Klassik (Germany)
  • “The four singers of New York Polyphony…produce some of the purest and most beautiful sounds I have ever heard in this music.”
    MusicWeb International
  • “NYP’s fine singing deserves to be heard.”
    Limelight (Australia)
  • “…stunningly recorded and performed”
    Audiophile Audition