The decades around 1600 were a golden age for Portuguese polyphony. Although Spain gets all the attention in music history, a distinct tradition was blooming in Portugal that was at least as rich and refined. In cities such as Évora – a centre of humanism, with a cathedral and university – and the Alentejo region, a repertoire emerged that united devotion, rhetoric and sound colour in a unique manner. Officium Ensemble – the benchmark for Iberian polyphony since the year 2000 – reveals the success story that was the Portuguese Renaissance, with works by Manuel Cardoso, Estêvão Lopes Morago and their contemporaries from the region. The programme moves between intimate passion music and grandiose polychoral works, some of which have not been heard for centuries. With their versatile voices and clear choir sound, the twelve singers reveal what makes Portuguese polyphony so special: concentrated expression and astonishing vitality.
Program
Motets by E.L. Morago, M. Cardoso, F. de Magalhães, A. Lobo
Performers
Ariana Russo, Isabel Fernandes, Mariana Moldão, Raquel Mendes, soprano | Fátima Nunes, Rita Tavares, alto | André Lacerda, Jorge Leiria, tenor | Nuno Mendes, Pedro Casanova, Rui Bôrras, bass | Pedro Teixeira, artistic director