Ockeghem: Missa L'Homme Arme, Ave Maria, Alma Redemptoris Mater / Josquin: Memor Esto Verbi Tui

In the late 1400s, a tradition developed of composing Mass settings around the popular tune "L'homme arme." Ockeghem's setting, one of the earliest examples, is one of his most approachable works. Ockeghem's music can seem forbidding--a dense wall of tightly interlocked melodies with no resting places or changes in texture. This Mass has plenty of both, along with some exciting rhythmic interplay between the voices. The Oxford Camerata is not in as good form as on their highly recommended Obrecht disc--for example, they simply sing through the complex rhythms rather than playing them up--but the notes and tuning are certainly in place. Until the Clerks' Group's Ockeghem series on ASV gets to the piece, this CD will do--especially at Naxos's low price. -- Matthew Westphal