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For a program that contains music not only by Tallis, Byrd, and Josquin but also Barber, Gorecki, and Poulenc, Renaissance Music for Inner Peace is something of a misnomer. Five of the 16 pieces here come not from the Renaissance but from the 19th and 20th centuries. No matter. The Sixteen, the English choral group founded by director Harry Christophers, have long been known for their embrace of music outside the traditional domain of Oxbridge a cappella ensembles, and this disc serves as a fine sampler of their artistry, as well as fulfilling its chill-out-to-the-classics marketing scheme. It also offers an abundance of gorgeous music, from a laundry list of great choral composers. And how fascinating to compare side-by-side Allegri's "Miserere," with its reaching-for-the-heavens soprano line, and Barber's equally range-stretching "Agnus Dei," the composer's own choral arrangement of his famous Adagio for Strings. Just as intriguing is the juxtaposition of Lotti's harmonically bold "Crucifixus" and Tavener's (the contemporary, not Renaissance, one) lovely "The Lamb." In the end, whether listened to as fodder for thought or as sonic Valium, Renaissance Music for Inner Peace delivers.
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