One of the worlds finest vocal chamber groups, the Hilliard Ensemble, is unrivaled for its formidable reputation in the fields of both early and new music. The program featured here exemplifies its distinctive style and highly developed musicianship in both repertoires. At its heart is a work commissioned by the ensemble from British contemporary composer Roger Marsh: Il Cor Tristo, a setting of cantos 32 and 33 from Dantes Inferno, which deftly blends Renaissance techniques with a modern idiom. Marshs composition frames madrigals by 16th century composers Bernardo Pisano (1490-1548) and Jacques Arcadelt (c 1507-1568). As so often with the Hilliard singers, the transitions between old and new are seamless...