Venetian Sacred Music

Venetian Sacred Music from the 9th to the 17th century Gruppo Vocale e Strumentale ‘Sine Nomine’, Cappella Musicale Monteberico, Gruppo Vocale e Strumentale ‘Nova Cantica’, Schola Marciana & La Stagione Armonica

This 3-CD set celebrates the rich musical legacy of one of Venice’s most iconic landmarks, St Mark’s Basilica. The compilation contains works dating from the Middle Ages right through to the Baroque period, and features a veritable who’s who of Italian composers (all of whom worked for the cathedral at some point). From the medieval responsories based on Venetian chant (taken from the Friulian liturgy) to de Quadris’ affecting two-voice Lamentations of Jeremiah setting, the collection also contains a wealth of masterpieces representing what has been described as a ‘golden age’ for the Basilica – in which a now vastly expanded corpus of musicians was able to give rise to many large and imposing works such as Cavalli’s Messa Concertata of 1656 for two choruses and instruments. Venice saw music as a means for ensuring its aggrandisement, and by the 1600s it had achieved just this. Documenting a range of spellbinding textures, this absorbing release is a chance to access the rich cultural heritage of a city that became the most glorious in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. Much of the music here is otherwise unavailable. Period-instrument recordings, made in Venetian churches between 1989 and 1995. New booklet notes by the Italian-music scholar, choir director and organist Huw Morgan.

Price: $33.98