The enormous popularity enjoyed by the works of Jose de Nebra, the leading Spanish composer in the mid-18th century, is a cause for surprise. His manuscripts are scattered across archives throughout Spain and the Americas. Jose de Nebra rose to be one of the organists of the Spanish Royal Chapel in 1724 and it's vicemaestro from 1751. Following the 1750 prohibition of performing villancicos in the royal institution, Nebra composed a complete series of Christmas Day responsories for the Matins service. From among the different versions, La Grande Chapelle offers the full version from 1752, which is unquestionably one of the indispensable works of Spanish Baroque music. The performance of this collection, following the study and transcription of the musical sources still in existence, represents a premiere of great musicological and artistic interest.

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F for Faure...� F for Fouchenneret!� The music of Gabriel Faure has been a constant presence with pianist Theo Fouchenneret since childhood, and it's language comes naturally to him. His first Faure album is an invitation to journey through the refined, dreamlike world of the Nocturnes, from the seductive suavity of the first to the sombre purity of the last. An odyssey in thirteen poetic phases into the depths of Faure, into the heart of an inner self, the strongly guarded fortress of this unique, intimate music, free of all external influence, whose unsettling, unutterable beauty Theo Fouchenneret reveals to us.

The Officium defunctorum by Tom�s Luis de Victoria, published in 1605, is one of the masterworks of the musical Renaissance, which still moves us with it's austerity and expressive power. It was written "in the style of a swansong" for the funeral rites of the composer's patroness, the empress Maria of Austria, sister of Philip II and widow of the emperor Maximilian II. For the first time in a recording, La Grande Chapelle and Schola Antiqua place the work in it's liturgical context, restoring the two original days: the vigil for the dead and the mass which concludes with the rite of absolution. The funeral rites celebrated in Madrid in 1603 are evoked, by means of respecting the original performing forces, the inclusion of the lection, the responsories and the psalms written by Victoria himself, and the use of plainchant taken from sources of the period. This reading brings us closer in a new way to one of the most important dynastic ceremonies of the Spanish Habsburgs of the beginning of the 17th century.

The Forty Hours devotion is a mysterious celebration that consists of displaying the Blessed Sacrament on the altar for the time Christ remained in the tomb. In Spain this extraordinary prayer, lasting over three days, included siestas during which chamber vocal works were sung interspersed with instrumental pieces. Focusing on the music of Sebastian Duron, this album recreates the sound of one of these siestas using cathedral sources and the distinctive sonority of the dulcians. It mainly features tonos and villancicos, whose popular texts are a marvellous blend of simplicity and sophistication. The composer's art undoubtedly lies in expressing religious emotion using the same means as profane emotion: we are in church and at the same time surrounded by nature, like in a poem by Saint Francis of Assisi.

Crist�bal de Morales' fame and influence were enormous in his own time. More than 70 prints before 1600 included some of his compositions. The works of the musician from Seville were not merely an essential part of the repertoires of the most important churches and cathedrals of Spain and America until the end of the Modern Age, but they also enjoyed extraordinary prestige among theoreticians and historians. He only worked for short periods in posts in Spain and his name remains associated with the decade he spent at the papal chapel of Pope Paul III, from 1535 to 1545. In Rome he carried out his responsibilities as cantor alongside colleagues the likes of Costanzo Festa, Jacques Arcadelt and Juan Escribano. Morales was especially interested in texts for Lent, which include the celebration of Ash Wednesday and the Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima Sundays. La Grande Chapelle takes full advantage of the extensive number of these motets on liturgical texts for the Lenten season to pay homage to one of the great composers of all time.

The Missa Scala Aretina by Francesc Valls is considered to be one of the most important works of Spanish music history. Written in the polychoral tradition and based on Guido d’Arezzo’s hexachord, and named after him, the work resulted in heated controversy over aesthetics which arose as a result of one of its passages. La Grande Chapelle tackles the fascinating challenge of rediscovering this unique work in its original setting and presents us with a number of excellent unpublished pieces from Valls’ huge musical production.

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Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

The music of Sebastián Durón, like that produced in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Spain generally, has been undervalued for decades in that it was considered inferior to the work of the great composers of the Siglo de Oro. And yet he is one of the great figures of Spanish music – organist and composer in the Court of Carlos II and Mariana of Neuburg, the last monarchs of the House of Habsburg, becoming master of the Chapel of Felipe V with the advent of the new Bourbon dynasty. His support for the Austrian cause during the War of Succession led to his expulsion from the Royal Chapel and his exile in France in 1706. In commemoration of the third centenary of his death, this recording recovers a number of Durón’s religious works written in Spanish, mainly for 8 voices. What we find is a composer faithful to the Spanish tradition of the tono (song) and the villancico, but who masterfully integrates Italian elements into work of extraordinary expressive power. This is an opportunity to rediscover the sacred work of this fascinating musician who served two dynasties.

Classical Music