Forty years have flown by since the Hilliard Ensemble launched their distinctive polyphonic male-voice quartet on the crest of the early music revival, and it’s three decades since they began their recordings for ECM, always atmospherically recorded and presented. Now they have admirably decided to quit while they’re ahead, and take their leave with this subtle, underplayed collection of carols and motets from the English repertory – simple, touching numbers such as There Is No Rose and Cornysh’s Ave Maria, Mater Dei sung with the ensemble’s trademark balance and clarity, ending with the more substantial Ah, Gentle Jesu by Sheryngham, of whom so little is known but whose eloquence sings across the centuries. We will miss the Hilliards’ unique explorations.
