Four decades after they formed and began to perfect their impossibly pure sound, vocal quartet The Hilliard Ensemble have embarked on their busiest international concert season yet, meeting with sold-out crowds and rave reviews at every turn.

This week, The Scotsman praised their “mystical singing” along with the “subliminal as well as the real impact of these impeccable performances”. But at the end of this annus mirabilis, the four down-to-earth British chaps behind the unmistakable ‘Hilliard sound’ will take their final bow together and go their separate ways.

Founded in 1974, the group brought a new audience to vocal a cappella music, defining the sound of the Renaissance in particular as the fledgling early music revival took flight.

Erato adds its voice to the celebrations with a newly released 3-CD set of classic Hilliard Ensemble. Hear the group at its purest and freshest, in unsurpassed 1980s recordings of sacred Renaissance music by Ockeghem, Di Lasso and Josquin Desprez. One thing remains certain after all these years: The Hilliard Ensemble will go out on a high.

More information on The Hilliard Sound: Renaissance Masterpieces here.