Pedro Rimonte (1565-1627) was a Spanish composer who worked in the service of Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella in Brussels from 1601 onwards. He was responsible for the court chapel and chamber music. In 1614 he returned to Spain, but came back to work in Brussels from 1616 to 1622. His music was published in Antwerp, including the brilliant Missa Ave virgo sanctissima. This five-part mass is based on the motet of the same name by Francisco Guerrero. Rimonte writes in an imitative style that is sometimes enlivened with homophonic passages. One of Rimonte’s colleagues was the English composer Peter Philips. Philips, who had fled Anglican England because of his Catholic beliefs, had come to live in Antwerp in 1591 and made a name for himself there. In 1597 he left the city to take up a position as the Archduke’s court organist in Brussels.
Performers
Helen Ashby, Kate Ashby, Lisa Beckley, Rebecca Hickey, soprano | Emma Ashby, Cara Curran, Rosie Parker, alto | Andrew Griffiths, Matthew Howard, Benedict Hymas, tenor | James Arthur, Eoghan Desmond, Nathan Harrison, bass
