I remember hearing with wonderment the arching theme of a Lamentations tone, sung by a Yemenite cantor newly arrived in Tel Aviv from the desert. Both Jews and Christians use these texts liturgically, the Jews to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem in 586BC, the Western Christian Church during the Office of Tenebrae on the last three days of Holy Week. The simple rising and falling of the first notes of the major scale can have amazing poignancy, whether as a single melodic line or from within the complexity of a piece of Renaissance polyphony. This remarkable recording brings to the listening public a name that may be unfamiliar to many. Jachet de Mantoue’s set of Lamentations for Holy Week was published posthumously in 1567, but probably dates from several decades earlier, when the composer – the perfetto musico – was employed by Ercole Gonzaga, Cardinal Bishop of Mantua.

The singers, a recently formed ensemble based in Brittany and bearing the composer’s name, is joined for the recording by the Parisian actor, Michel Lonsdale. The recital is planned so that the different sections fall into place in a natural sequence of three days, each divided into three lessons and each lesson into a series of verses, introduced by Hebrew letters. Before each of the lessons Lonsdale reads, quietly and most beautifully, the French translation of what is to follow, from a source near in time to the compositions: La Sainte Bible en françoys (1528). He sets the scene, and the singers continue with the same spirit of deep and utter sorrow, expressed with totally controlled emotion throughout the performance. It is never overdone. The vocal blend is excellent, and the spoken voice adds just enough relief, entering gently at intervals between the polyphonic lessons.

The booklet notes are of great interest and importance, the illustrations discreet and sober. The whole CD is a model of beauty and perfection.