Philippe de Monte continues to enjoy (if that’s the right word) a lukewarm press in modern times. I recently heard an eminent musicologist describe him in conversation as “wet”. It’s not easy to flesh out such an impression technically, and the available CD anthologies don’t help much, in that I’ve yet to hear one that really catches fire, however enjoyable, ear-catching or even impressive individual performances and pieces may be. This new release suffers from the same impression of a near miss. Things get off to a fine start with the motet Hodie dilectissimi, and it’s among the two sets of motets (there are seven in total) that the most convincing performances are to be heard. Thereafter, the selection of madrigals is less distinctive, despite undeniable patches of interest; and the French chansons seem more tentative in execution, this time from the standpoint of performance. The pieces given over to cornett and sackbuts, however, are more consistently accomplished, whether or not they accompany the voices.

So there is much that’s very satisfying here, and Ensemble Orlando’s sense of ensemble is pleasing, its tone light, fresh and supple. But perhaps a few larger-scale pieces would have cast de Monte in a more grateful light: of the 17 tracks recorded here, only Hodie dilectissimi exceeds the five-minute mark, and all the others bar one are under four. Indeed, weighing in at just over 50 minutes, and sporting a packaging that begs several questions, the disc gives the curious impression of having been salvaged from a rather more ambitious project.