La Quinta Essentia

"Ever heard of Ashewell? Now here's your chance. The Huelgas Ensemble here produce a really amazing range of sounds, full and rich and yet wonderfully translucent. There can be few better ways to introduce oneself to the music of Thomas Ashewell. Paul van Nevel and his singers mine his expressive Missa 'Ave Maria' with the excitement of explorers who have come across new treasures."
Edit's Choice Gramophone Magazine March 2008

"a performance of breathtaking technical mastery and originality" BBC Music Magazine, January 2008

Paul Van Nevel and the Huelgas-Ensemble have collected the quintessence of a musical art. Their recording illustrates the three dominant styles of the Renaissance: the Roman school, Franco-Flemish polyphony, and English late Gothic. The chosen formal framework is the mass, and three of its greatest masters contribute to the programme: Lassus, 'counterpoint on a human scale', Palestrina, 'the path of transcendence', and Ashewell, 'the irresistible appeal of virtuoso ornamentation'. A whole world recreated in sound!