A Capella Portuguesa - Holy Week At The Chapel Of The Dukes Of Draanza

Saturday 1st February 1997
A Capella Portuguesa - Holy Week At The Chapel Of The Dukes Of Draanza

STYLE: Choral
RATING 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 17732-
LABEL: Hyperion 66867
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by John Irvine

A few words of explanation. The Dukes Of Draganza became heirs to the Portuguese throne from 1640, but the chapel in the ancestral home at Vila Vicosa became second only to the royal chapel at Lisbon with regard to standards of musical excellence and access to copies of the music of Europe's foremost composers. Much of this was the result of a far sighted monarch renewing the emphasis on music in the worship at the chapel, resulting in a great number of music being copied from the Lisbon libraries for the use of the Vila Vicosa chapel in 1735 or 1736. It is due to the diligence of the copyist that much Portuguese sacred music was stored in a safer location and did not perish in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. The liturgy of Holy Week has inspired some of the most expressive pieces of vocal music ever written, with the music of the 16th and 17th century composers Victoria, De Almeida and Mendes remaining popular for chapel worship well into the 18th century. This is a disc of great beauty and sensitivity, of the same high standards as previous releases (reviewed in CR23 and CR27) of A Capella Portuguesa, a vocal group who specialise in the performance of renaissance music from Portugal and Spain. They depart from historical precedents only in that they use women rather than boys for the soprano parts, which to my mind adds rather than detracts from the music in so much as these ladies bring a passion, a maturity, a level of competence and commitment often lacking in boy choristers. While the whole disc is a potent performance of sacred works of great beauty and spiritual power, full of treasures from start to finish, the high points of the disc are three works by the hitherto unknown Francisco Antonio De Almeida, whose works still only exist in manuscript form in museums. Fame at last! His setting of Lamentations for example is suitably bleak but wonderfully moving and his "Miserere" is a magnificent work, worthy of comparison with classic settings by other composers such as Allegri. A disc which will not disappoint.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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