A taste of the Iberian peninsula is on the menu with the latest CD recording from the Choir of The Queen’s College. Recorded in The Queen’s College Chapel during 2007 and 2008, Caeli Porta is the choir’s fourth CD, and features sacred music by Portuguese composers of the 17th century, much of it the result of research into Iberian polyphony by the director of music, Owen Rees.

The composers featured on this disc may not be familiar to today’s listeners, but in the late 16th and early 17th centuries they were at the forefront of music in Portugal. Their work took them from Lisbon to the Spanish cities of Seville and Granada, resulting in a wide dissemination of music across Portugal and Spain – then jointly ruled by the Spanish Hapsburgs – in what was a golden age for Portuguese music.

The Choir of The Queen’s College has captured the spirit of that age in this engaging and sensitive recording, which is notable for the quality of the sound. The choir achieves great purity in tone throughout, with clear articulation and an obvious deep commitment to the music.

At the centre of the CD is the glorious Missa de beata virgine Maria by Duarte Lobo, one of the most eminent composers in Lisbon at the time, with the singers here pinpointing his rich colours and textures, and making much of the dramatic Agnus Dei. Flanked by a pleasing mix of psalms and canticles, this is a lovely recording – and its inclusion of music for Holy Week makes its release particularly timely.

The CD comes with an accompanying booklet, giving detailed background information on the composers and their music, and is the ideal companion to the choir’s 2005 release, Paradisi portas: Music from 17th-century Portugal. Caeli Porta: 17th-Century Sacred Music from Lisbon and Granada is released by Guild, catalogue number GMCD 7273, www.guildmusic.com. Information is also on The Queen’s College website, (www.queens.ox.ac.uk).