“The results on this disc are stunning.” Gramophone “Phantasm’s playing is impeccable.” BBC Music Magazine “A sheer delight.” International Record Review This new recording is the only complete collection of William Byrd's consort music and includes hymn settings that are premiere recordings. William Byrd was the most celebrated Elizabethan composer of Renaissance consort music, English song, masses, Latin motets and keyboard works who studied under Thomas Tallis. His viol music is polyphonic and full of melancholy. The performances on this recording bring out the rich, overlapping textures of the compositions creating a mesmerizing sound. This is Phantasm's second album with the Linn label. Their first, "John Ward / Consort Music" was a Finalist in the 2010 Gramophone Awards. Inspired by the great twentieth-century string quartets, Phantasm enjoys taking risks in its search for renditions that renew the expressive traditions of early music. Critics have called their performances and recordings "intoxicating", "revelatory", "electrifying", and "interpretations pervaded by a truly burning spirit". Their recordings have won two Gramophone Awards in addition to numerous other international nominations and citations and are recognized as the most exciting viol consort active on the world scene. Director Laurence Dreyfus is one of the world's most eminent Musicologists who has made the study of 16th and 17th century instrumental music his life's work. He brings his vast knowledge and immense passion into Phantasm and its recordings.