This commemoration (not ‘celebration’, Archiv!) of the 300th anniversary of the death of Biber is subtitled ‘In the midst of life we are in death’ and divided into ‘Vita’ and ‘Mors’. The ‘Life’ section consists of the Mass interspersed with all but two of the pieces by other composers listed above; ‘Death’ wraps the Praeludium and Lassus’s Media vita… round the Requiem.

The Mass, for six voices and continuo, is sung here by one or two to a part. It’s an old-fashioned contrapuntal work of some charm. The Kyrie starts with imitative entries over a brisk marching bass, while the descending scales of the Gloria evoke the pealing of bells, just like the anthem Rejoice in the Lord always by Biber’s contemporary, Henry Purcell. For the Credo the scales rise rather than fall; any thoughts that this might reflect the affirmation of faith in the words are dispelled by an almost jolly setting of ‘passus et sepultus est’.

The Gabrieli Consort sound better in the tuttis than in solo passages. Paul McCreesh keeps our interest with some vigorous speeds, for instance at ‘Cum sancto spiritu’ and ‘Et vitam venturi’, and there is some very nifty continuo playing from Timothy Roberts. Abraham Megerle’s Peccator et consolatory for two sopranos is beautifully done, Ruth Holton’s sinner in the distance obeying Susan Hemington Jones’s injunction to invoke the Virgin Mary.McCreesh makes the best possible case for the Requiem. But I thought this a dreary work when reviewing the recording by Arsys Bourgogne (Ambroisie, 7/04), and I’m afraid I think so still. The best pieces on this disc are the motets by Lassus: music that knows where it’s going, in impeccably shaped performances.