Dufay's four-voice Ecce ancilla Domini Mass was probably composed in the early 1460s. The three-voice Mass Proper cycle De angelis dates from about 20 years earlier, and may also be Dufay's (the attribution to the composer is hypothetical). As an experiment in programming, the inclusion of the Propers is a master-stroke. They are beautiful pieces in themselves, and their alternation with the movements of the Mass Ordinary is very convincing: let us hope this starts a trend.
The Binchois Ensemble's viewpoint is emphatically choral rather than soloistic, despite the small forces involved (nine singers). Lines are spun out almost uninflectedly, in marked contrast to the more 'expressive', varied shadings of English ensembles (e.g. the Hilliard or The Clerkes group). Although some may find it a touch cold, this objectified approach to the sound can be very persuasive (especially here in the Propers).
The one major concern is with the overly slow tempos chosen for the Mass Ordinary. The singers themselves are at times audibly strained: at the words ''Jesu Christe'' in the Gloria, the tenors' rise to the top of the texture is lacklustre when it should resound, and with a Credo that clocks in at 11 minutes, the sense of Ecce ancilla's astonishing economy of means doesn't quite come across as it might have. In this respect, the Pomerium Musices' recording on Nonesuch (4/80—nla) still holds its own (27 minutes against this version's 37!). The recording quality is fine, though there are two or three uncomfortable peaks; excellent accompanying notes.'