Devising an overview of Lassus's motets must be a daunting task: the 23 presented here are only a tiny fraction of his output, but they still convey something of the composer's inexhaustible versatility. The many settings of Regina coeli (all based on the same chant) make for an instructive comparison—the last one has an unexpected punchline—and attentive listeners are sure to enjoy the witty transformations of a famous Christmas tune in Resonet in laudibus.
The singing is of a very high standard throughout, with little of the insecurity that sometimes affects choirs in their vocal extremities. The emphasis on ensemble has its pitfalls, though: certain interpretative gestures (sudden pianissimos or crescendos) sound a bit fussy, a problem ironically underlined by their flawless execution. Some motets are delivered as though they were all of the same cloth (Lenten works, for instance, are uniformly subdued), an attitude that disregards the sudden shifts of mood that enliven even the shortest pieces. Perhaps greater expressive scope might have been achieved if a few more large-scale motets had been included at the expense of shorter ones (fewer than a handful exceed four minutes).
The selection is generous and includes some of Lassus's greatest Evensong hits (Justorum animae made a walk-on appearance in an episode from Central TV's Inspector Morse): the 'track-shuffle' function on many CD players was invented for just this type of anthology. The recording's emphasis is on the overall sound, fittingly enough, though perhaps too veiled and distant for some ears.'