The King’s Singers’ collaboration with Signum Records continues with this outstanding collection of madrigals from 23 composers including Thomas Morley, John Bennet, Michael Cavendish and Thomas Weelkes. A collection of 25 madrigals from 23 different composers - from the famous to the obscure - make up this Elizabethan curiosity, published in 1601 by Thomas Morley. A musical dedication to Queen Elizabeth I, The Triumphs of Oriana displays the talents of English songwriters, long overshadowed by their European counterparts, conjuring up an image of an idealised and mythical England of old.
"...The more I listen to these King’s Singers performances, the more I admire their breathtaking virtuosity. Another way of putting this would be to say they appear never to need to draw breath. And the King’s Singers bring these madrigals to life with an altogether broader range and perspective than the exquisiteness of a Nicholas Hilliard miniature." Michael Greenhalgh
"This is a very welcome release indeed... Long live the King’s Singers!" ***** William Yeoman
"...In Amadis of Gaul, a 15th Century Spanish myth, war erupts after Oriana, the daughter of the King of Britain, rejects marriage to the Emperor of Rome. The King’s Singers deliver these songs with insistent voices, the imitative pairs beautifully balanced across the stereo, the intonation faultless and the diction unmistakable. The variety of tone that the sextet achieves is one of their inimitable traits. Hear how they darken in the second half of Wilbye’s The Lady Oriana. Other groups can only admire." ***** Rick Jones
"This disc is a triumph of majestic vocal ensemble, projecting the 25 madrigals from Thomas Morley’s famous 1601 collection in honour of Elizabeth I." **** Andrew Stewart
