The Ripieno Choir, conducted by Huw Morgan, invite you to join them at their forthcoming concert in which they explore music of the Portuguese Renaissance era. The programme will include works by Cardoso, Lusitano, Philips, Morago and Lobo.
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.
Lobo’s Audivi vocem takes an almost visual approach: initial ascending motifs conveying a voice heard from heaven.
Very little is known of Vincente Lusitano (c1520-c1561) 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 are delighted to invite you to join them as they explore this wondrous music.