I Heard a Voice
The golden age of the Portuguese Renaissance
Saturday 25 March 2023 at 7.30 pm
All Saints Weston, Chestnut Avenue, Esher, KT10 8JL
view map
Conducted by Huw Morgan
Buy tickets online – for tickets prices see below
The concert will finish at approximately 9.00 pm. Refreshments will then be served in the church hall.
Frei Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650) personifies the ‘golden age’ of Portuguese polyphony, though his music is still little known and infrequently performed. Composing as the Renaissance turned to Baroque, Cardoso ignored the development of the new idiom elsewhere in Europe, and instead combined the academic purity of Palestrina with the emotive tensions of Victoria.
Iberian traditions of the time placed great importance on services to commemorate the dead. Cardoso’s Missa pro defunctis for six voices is perhaps even more explicit in its evocation than Victoria’s. A mood of contemplative stillness prevails, capturing the quietude of Cardoso’s own monastic life. The poise and commitment of Sitivit anima mea does much to convey Cardoso’s superb artistry. Duarte Lobo’s Audivi vocem takes an almost visual approach: initial ascending motifs conveying a voice heard from heaven.
Very little is known of Vicente Lusitano (c.1520-c.1561) except that he was probably the first black composer to be published. Like many others, Lusitano paraphrases the Regina caeli plainchant melody closely, but what makes his setting unique is his use of distinct harmonic language.
The Ripieno Choir is delighted to invite you to join us in exploring this wondrous music.
Repertoire
Manuel Cardoso
Missa pro defunctis
Sitivit anima mea
Magnificat secundi toni
Duarte Lobo
Audivi vocem de caelo
Pater peccavi
Vicente Lusitano
Regina caeli
Estêvão Lopes Morago
De profundis
Tickets
£16 in advance
£18 on the day (including at the door)
£5 for under 18s
Group discounts are available – please contact the box office for more information.
Box office
✆ 020 8399 2714
✉ ku.gro.riohconeipirnull@xov