Sacred music from Renaissance Spain and Portugal
King's Lynn Minster
Saturday 19 November, 7:30pm
This concert explores the beautiful repertoire of sacred choral music from the Golden Age of Spain and Portugal, representing one of the pinnacles of the European Renaissance. The programme centres on music by Francisco Guerrero, maestro di capilla at the spectacular cathedral in Seville, and perhaps the greatest composer of the Spanish Renaissance, Tomas Luis de Victoria, who spent much of his career in Rome but returned to his native Spain as chaplain to the Empress Maria, daughter of Charles V, in Madrid.
The flowering of sacred polyphony in neighbouring Portugal was equally magnificent, represented here in motets by Pedro de Cristo and Aires Fernandez, both of whom worked at the monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra. By turns serene and dramatic, this rich repertoire combines an intense spirituality with a vivid range of emotional expression. From the searingly beautiful strains of mourning in Lobo's 'Versa Est in Luctum' to the delicate madrigal-like patterns of Victoria's setting of 'Vidi Speciosam' from the Song of Songs, this programme showcases Iberian composers' ability to infuse religious music with sensuality, tenderness and passion.
Purchase tickets here (discounted for advance booking)
