Akademia, a name new to me, has a clean, incisive sound, bright and well-tuned, and is capable of changing received opinions of how French choirs sound. The ensemble has a real feel for Palestrina's polyphony, shaping lines with great intelligence and with an excellent choral blend. Only occasionally are there frayed entries, and I find the constant forte in the opening group of motets a little monotonous, though this latter is a result of enthusiasm rather than insensitivity. The second group is Marian, like the first, but this time polychoral. All these pieces, far too rarely heard, are sung with a greater variety of dynamics and a real enjoyment of the antiphonal writing. The splendid Ave regina caelorum in particular receives a truly inspired performance.
The Petrarch madrigal cycle Vergine bella is beautifully performed, this time by a smaller ensemble, with the voices more individually 'expressive' in that they are allowed more scope for vibrato and shaping. The sense of ensemble is still excellent, and their understanding of the subtleties of Palestrina's superb settings is evident in every phrase. Here too there is more dynamic contrast, but it is never exaggerated. In fact, one sometimes wishes for a rougher edge, the occasional intrusion of a darker sound (as happens sometimes in the polychoral motets) into what is in fact a remarkably northern-sounding group—the madrigals are possibly just a little too well-behaved. A tiny quibble, this, however, in what is a well-planned, excellently-sung recital of some of Palestrina's best music.'