Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, whose name comes from his presumed birthplace, spent most of his life in Rome, serving at major basilicas like Santa Maria Maggiore and St Peter's.
Composition History
Palestrina's Cantica Salomonis, his fourth book of motets, was written in 1583 and published in 1584, dedicated to Pope Gregory XIII.
Performer Biography
Dr. Venanz Schubert, the conductor and music director of the Palestrina Ensemble Munich, studied Philosophy, Theology, Classical Philology, Musicology, and History, and founded the ensemble with his daughter Mirjam in 1994.
Recording & Production
This album is a double-CD recording of Palestrina's Cantica Salomonis, created in collaboration with Bayerischer Rundfunk and released by Naxos in August 2013.
Interpretation
The recording concept assigns roles in the Gregorian antiphons: women's voices represent the bride, men's voices the bridegroom, and all voices together represent the chorus of women.
Interpretation
This recording uniquely combines Gregorian chant with Palestrina's motets, a connection not previously made in recordings, to unite the two musical traditions.
Compositional Technique
Palestrina's setting of the Song of Songs uses 29 five-voice motets to tell a love story, featuring three roles: the bride, the bridegroom, and a chorus of women.
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