Cinquecento
(Hyperion)

Like a number of Franco-Flemish composers of his generation, Jean Richafort (c1480) may or may not have been a pupil of Josquin des Prez – the evidence is circumstantial – but he certainly composed his Requiem in the great man's memory. Lasting over half an hour, it's one of the most substantial requiems of the first half of its time. It quotes from two of Josquin's secular chansons, one of them, the very solemn, almost dirge-like Nymphes, Nappés, itself incorporating a plainsong melody that is also used extensively in the six-voice Requiem. A sense of intricacy, of allusive layers within layers in the work, is constantly present in Richafort's homage. Cinquecento preface their rather austere performance with the two source works, and follow it with a group of laments from the years after Josquin's death by Appenzeller, Gombert and Vinders, interleaved with two more of Josquin's own settings. One of them is a 15-minute version of psalm 51, Miserere mei, Deus, and is much more than a makeweight. It's a thoughtfully planned collection,which repays very careful attention.

Rating: 3/5

• Classical music