Roma

Conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón takes us on a journey in the footsteps of Gregorio Allegri, composer of the famous Miserere, and then in those of the Italian ‘Orpheus’, Alessandro Scarlatti, introducing us to the splendid music of Giovanni Giorgi. Alternating between legendary works and rarities, this concert – conceived as a grand oratorio – reveals the splendour of Italian polyphony, with writing as virtuosic as it is radiant.

By competing in ingenuity and employing a growing variety of spatial techniques, 17th-century compositions gradually broke free from their religious constraints and turned them to their advantage.

Philippe Ramin – Bachtrack

One after another, the pieces grip us, sweep us away, and leave us spellbound with a cry or a moment of silence. These Roman polyphonies are a treasure trove of diverse sounds: here the fugue unfolds in all its majesty; there the quartet of soloists creates a more intimate atmosphere. Giorgi’s three motets are of pure splendour, featuring a crystal-clear and deeply moving Ave Maria.

Marc Dumont – Première Loge

Under the assertive and warm baton of Leonardo García-Alarcón, Cappella Mediterranea enchants at every turn and, above all, brings to life a powerfully religious music that is far removed from the concerns of today’s audience. The resounding success enjoyed by all the performers on the evening demonstrates that the divide is not insurmountable and that beauty transcends all eras.

José Pons – Olyrix

Discovering 17th-century Roman polyphonic music

An expert in Italian Baroque music and a leading pioneer in the rediscovery of forgotten scores, the Argentine conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón invites us on an exhilarating journey into the riches of polyphonic music as it was practised in Rome in the 17th century. From Allegri’s famous Miserere, a masterpiece of the Sistine Chapel repertoire jealously guarded for centuries, to Alessandro Scarlatti’s motets with their poignant chromaticism, this concert also offers us the chance to discover a little-known mass by Giovanni Giorgi, a composer who served notably as Kapellmeister at St John Lateran before ending his career at the court of Lisbon.

Program

Luigi Rossi
Piangete occhi piangete

Alessandro Scarlatti
Plange quasi virgo
Ecce vidimus eum

Gregorio Allegri
Miserere

Giovanni Giorgi
Motet
Messe en fa majeur

Cast

Mariana Flores, soprano
Maria Chiara Ardolino, soprano
William Shelton, countertenor
Valerio Contaldo, tenor
Matteo Bellotto, bass

Chœur de Chambre de Namur
Cappella Mediterranea
Leonardo García-Alarcón, conducting

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Roma

Discovering 17th-century Roman polyphonic music

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