Fading

Before night falls and the monks retire to their monastic cells, the day ends with the Night Prayer, or Compline. The texts of this Liturgy of the Hours have often been set to music, including in the 16th century by Renaissance composers such as the Englishman William Byrd, the Frenchman Jean Mouton and the Franco-Flemish composer Nicholas Gombert. These polyphonic gems are notable for their expressive word paintings and dizzying harmonic turns.

The vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six – composed of some of the best young British ensemble singers – performs a combination of the spiritual music of Byrd, Mouton and Gombert together with a more modern repertoire. Contemplative work by such contemporary composers as Veljo Tormis, Joanna Marsh and Richard Rodney Bennet sit comfortably among works by masters of the Renaissance.

"Ingeniously programmed and impeccably delivered, with that undefinable excitement that comes from a group of musicians working absolutely as one, The Gesualdo Six’s ‘Fading’ is startlingly, urgently excellent." - Gramophone magazine.