Jacob Regnart held the post of vice-chapel master of the Imperial Court at Prague until his death in 1599. Lassus thought enough of his younger contemporary to recommend him for the post of chapel master to the Elector of Saxony (though both Lassus and Regnart himself declined the position). His best-regarded compositions are the Mariale of 1588, written during his service at Innsbruck under Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol, brother of the Emperors Rudolph II and Matthias II. The list of titles shows it to be a conspectus of the most famous Marian texts. Fifteen of its 23 pieces are recorded here. They are strongly reminiscent of de Monte’s music (unsurprisingly, since he was Regnart’s superior at Prague). They offer a great variety of vocal scorings, and reflect several approaches and traditions (the Stabat mater refers obliquely to Josquin’s setting in a few places, much as Lassus’s does; and the Regina caeli quotes the plainsong episodically). In short, this is admirably well-made and accomplished music, making its point discreetly and inviting repeated listening.
The same applies to the music-making of the Weser-Renaissance Bremen, which strikes me as more successful than the last recording of theirs I reviewed (of Thomas Stoltzer – CPO, 2/96). Each motet is given a different scoring, and the mix between voices, high instruments (cornetts and trombones) and continuo is consistently sensitive. Both the singers and instrumentalists are secure enough as ensembles in their own right to go it alone; conversely, some motets include only one voice, which gives each soloist a chance to impress. Like the music itself the general approach is understated, but this has the effect of drawing listeners in rather than distancing them. My only concern is that the composer’s relative obscurity may prevent a very fine disc from getting the exposure it deserves. My plea to specialists, collectors or the open-minded is all the more emphatic: don’t hesitate.'