William Mundy was one of the foremost composers of the generation between Tallis and Byrd. His relative neglect may stem from the fact that his style changed according to the prevailing political winds of the time, and he wrote Anglican music and English and Catholic music in Latin. Of course this should make him more interesting, not less. Here only the Catholic music is represented, and there are three substantial (15- to 17-minute) antiphons. One, Vox Patris caelestis, is probably Mundy's most famous work. Sample it generously for an idea. The work was described this way by Nicolas Robertson: "[beginning] with two voices only, expanding to a trio before the full choir enters with éclat in the second half, now in duple instead of triple time, the solo sections are enlarged in scope, climaxing in a 'gymel' (derived from the Latin for twin) where two equal treble voices soar above the rich accompaniment of double alto and bass." These large structural contrasts should have the feeling of exploding in joy, and that's just what the work gets here from Edinburgh's Choir of St. Mary's Cathedral under Duncan Ferguson, outdoing English cathedral choirs on their own musical turf. Better still is the presence of two more large works, both unusual. One is a newly completed antiphon, Maria virgo sanctissima, and the other is a collaboration among Sheppard, Mundy, and Byrd, In exitu Israel, which forms the conclusion of the work. Ferguson places the music in the midst of its liturgical setting, even down to the inclusion of a banging censer, which helps give a sense of its scope and of why three top composers might have been enlisted to work on it. The presence of women (along with boys) on the top lines gives them some real punch, and there is evidence that choirs at this time might have included women. The short pieces also demonstrate Mundy's remarkable concision in these forms, and the total result is a tremendously exciting recording of English Renaissance music.