The choir's rich
yet clear sonority
and firm yet delicate
expressiveness
made the strongest
possible impression.
The Mass was Palestrina's epic Missa Papae Marcelli, a work that is often said to have saved polyphony with its declamatory setting. Singing in the stalls under the Dome of the Cathedral was a thrilling experience, and one very different to that with which we are accustomed in Clare Chapel. The anthem was Victoria's motet, O quam gloriosum.