Mexican Baroque

To and from Hobart I passed the time in the Mexican Baroque, with the following CD's - one of which at least comes highly recommended by a certain august prelate who shall remain nameless...

• Chanticleer singing "Mexican Baroque: Music from New Spain" (2564 69765-2), with responsory, psalm and polychoral Mass by Ignacio de Jerusalem (c.1710-1769), plus villancicos and Lamentations by Manuel de Zumaya or Sumaya (c.1678-1755);
• Chanticleer's peerless recording of highlights from Jerusalem's 1764 "Matins for the Virgin of Guadalupe" (0630-19340-2), with a responsory by Giacomo Rust (1741-1786) and two villancicos by Sumaya;
• "Vespers of St Ignatius" (K617027) by the Jesuit Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726);
• "Vespers of the Assumption" (K617026) - an improbable if pleasing mixture of sacred vocal and instrumental music by Sumaya, Juan de Araujo, and their French Baroque contemporary Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

If nothing else, one must have a copy of Matins for the Virgin of Guadalupe - everything on it is marvellous, and every day when I read Matins of Our Lady I have Jerusalem's magnificent setting of Quem terra, pontus, sidera (gift of Venantius Fortunatus to the Western Church) echoing in my ears...