*** ALONSO LOBO: Sacred music. Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips, cond. (Gimell)

Seven motets and a mass by Spaniard Alonso Lobo (1555-1617), in his lifetime thought of as the equal of Victoria, are given the luxurious Tallis Scholar treatment. The motets unwind in streaming, complex counterpoint, creating a fitting mood for the texts and inducing regular breathing in the listener punctuated by occasional subtle yet startling shifts in texture and rhythm. The Missa Maria Magdalene is sweeter, more melodious and imitative music, flowing in serene grandeur. The disc opens with a magnificent and sonorous motet by Francisco Guerrero, who may have been Lobo’s teacher. The ensemble performs with its typical poise and abiding delineation; the sopranos, like audible cream.