In The Studio: John Sheppard’s Media Vita

The Choir of New College, Oxford, one of the UK’s most celebrated and acclaimed choral groups, is making its Linn debut this week, with a recording of works by the English Renaissance composer John Sheppard. The New College choir was already 150 years old when Sheppard arrived in Oxford intent on contributing to the wealth of choral polyphony that defined the Tudor era.

Sheppard’s Media vita in morte sumus is his most celebrated work, almost symphonic in its proportions, in which he combines and elevates commonplace Tudor musical devices to striking effect. Sheppard’s boundary-pushing polyphony requires the skill and precision of liturgical professionals, and in the hands of director Robert Quinney it is compelling.

This recording is due to be released in 2020.