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The Tallis Scholars in Lisbon: Renaissance stasis

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My first real exposure to high quality Renaissance music was via Tallis Scholars recordings, back in the 1980s when they were a relatively new group. Remarkably, the founder of the group, Peter Phillips, is still leading them over 50 years after their founding. Based on the performance I saw last week in Belém, there has been remarkably little change in the group's sonic or interpretive stance over that timespan. Depending on your perspective, that is either comforting or disappointing. Count me in the latter group (I know, what a surprise). Over recent decades, new groups performing the core Renaissance repertory have sprung up and have communicated new interpretive and sonic ideas. You would never know this from last week's performance. Phillips' interpretive view is seemingly etched in granite. High quality granite, to be sure, but still granite. Back in the 1970s and 80s, recordings of Renaissance music were unusual. Phillips started the Tallis Scholars in 1973, when he...