O Crux Benedicta. Lent and Holy Week at the Sistine Chapel

Featuring

Massimo Palombella
Pueri Cantores della Cappella Musicale Pontificia detta Sistina
Anonymous (Gregorian Chant)
Francisco Gabriel Gálvez
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Francesco Soriano

Orlando di Lasso
Costanzo Festa
Francesco Rosselli
Tomás Luis de Victoria
Cipriano de Rore
Felice Anerio

Did you know?

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Recording & Production

Works for double chorus and motets with boys' voices for the cantus line were recorded in front of the altar in the Sistine Chapel.

Recording & Production

For aesthetic authenticity, plainchant and motets sung by men with falsettists were recorded in the historic choir loft of the Sistine Chapel, where the choir traditionally stood.

Performer Biography

The Sistine Chapel Choir, featured on this album, is the oldest choral institution in the world.

Interpretation

This album aims to present 'early' music as 'alive' and relevant today, using critical tools for reinterpretation rather than assuming an unbroken tradition of performance practice from Palestrina's time.

Interpretation

The recording prioritizes an authentic vocal style, emphasizing agility and refinement, influenced by the unique acoustics of the Sistine Chapel.

Composition History

The music on this album was sourced from the Vatican Library's Sistine Chapel Collection, with some exceptions requiring consultation of other historical manuscripts.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Renaissance liturgical music, like plainchant, is deeply informed by theological concerns, with Holy Week serving as a central point of reference for composers.