Agricola wasn't as influential as some composers of his generation, but does continue to make a distinct individual impression today. His secular music is some of the most inventive of the period (especially rhythmically...), often setting the same tunes over again, basically as a series of variations, and his mass cycles sometimes show a similar style. These two long masses can seem especially like series of variations, rich in details from moment to moment, but largely passing through a series of scenes without an overall architecture (other than the commonality of the preexisting material, which is itself constantly varied...).
So let me go ahead & reproduce one paragraph from the file for the previous recording of this program (the premiere by A:N:S Chorus, from Hungaroton):
"This music is rather difficult to follow, but once grasped, it becomes increasingly compelling. The scope and level of detail in these masses is perhaps the largest anywhere. The motivic variation, ornamentation, rhythmic shifts etc. ... these are almost unprecedented, before or after. The first mass is the more self-contained, while the latter apparently misses its beginning, as well as seeming inconclusive at the end. The music in sum shows a very keen imagination, and is perhaps the very highlight of the pre-rational style."
The irrational (which is probably a better label than "pre-...") style would contrast most obviously then with Obrecht's rationalism, and so in some sense these two composers form a pair of opposites (& had e.g. both been recorded by A:N:S ...). As opposed to Obrecht's broad arcs around clear structural points, Agricola's cycles seem to delve into endless series of details & variations, i.e. with every passage seemingly treated individually (& lyrically) in some way....
These are clearly Agricola's most accomplished, intricate & extensive mass cycles too, so in that sense, the program is exemplary. Perhaps they're also more novelties than some cycles.... In any case, in a technical-musical sense, these are two of the most accomplished & unusual settings of the period.
And the performance here is outstanding. In fact, these might be Beauty Farm's best renditions yet, and this is tricky music. They follow the mensuration & take their time in the slower passages, but also combine a strong energy with a wonderful clarity throughout, the individual lines of these intricate pieces being surprisingly easy to hear.... Indeed, I'd say this release sets a new standard for the group (although as noted, this material had already been recorded...).
And then after the above comments, I actually start to hear these movements unfold via longer senses of line, not always completely articulated by the ensemble, but coming to be more evident. Such an impression then reflects Ockeghem's "endless melody" style more closely. It also suggests that the interpretations could be improved, with improved continuity across some breaks, etc. However, it also required these interpretations to hear the music in this more "big picture" way....
Todd M. McComb Updated: 3 January 2026