Tage Alter Musik – Almanach 2019

The Power of Music explored Luther’s own love of music and its importance in the sub- sequent Lutheran liturgy. After an introduc- tory instrumental Douleur me bat from Josquin Desprez, his De profundis clamavi introduced a sequence of pieces based on three Lutheran chorales: Aus tiefer Not, Vater unser im Himmelreich, and Christ lag in Todesbanden and their Latin predecessors ( De profundis clamavi, Pater Noster, and Vic- timae paschali laudes, by composers such as Crüger, Hellinck, Senfl, Walter, Hoyol, Lasso and Michael Praetorius. A larger gap be- tween the three groups of pieces would have helped but, otherwise, this was an impressive concert with fine singing and playing. So- prano Veerle Van Roosbroeck seemed to be leading the singers, and her relatively sub- dued, but nicely-focussed voice was a feature of the consort. Countertenor Rob Cuppen also had an attractive voice. The programme was well planned, building to something of a musical climax from the Desprez Victimae paschali laudes through to Michael Praeto- rius’s concluding version. Sunday 9 June The Sunday morning concert was in the his- toric Reichssaal, home of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire (the so-called ’Perpetual Diet) and now part of the Rathaus. The performers were Seconda Prat!ca from The Netherlands, with their four singers and five instrumentalists. Their programme was Mussa Mundi – 15th to 17th-century musical traditions of Portugal and their worldwide impact , with a se- quence of pieces alternating with settings of a Christmas Mass by different composers, all found in the same manuscript in Coimbra. The music ranged from around 1540 to 1697 and covered a wide variety of styles, from formal polyphony to folk-style Villancicos. Often overlooked in favour of their Iberian neighbours or the rich tapestry of Latin American music, this was a fascinating in- sight into the music of Portugal, and a re- minder of just how important the city of Coimbra was. The music was evocative, with a nicely-chosen balance of vocal and instru- mental pieces and a rich tapestry of accom- panimental sounds. After the opening processional and the in- troit Puer natus est nobis by Manual da Fon- seca, there came an extended dramatic anonymous piece froma Coimbra manuscript, En un portal derribado with contributions from vocal representatives of various countries. A later dramatic piece was Mateo Flecha el Viejo’s lively El Fuego , this from a Barcelona manuscript. As is always the case with concerts in the Reichssaal, heat and lack of air was an issue for performers and audience alike. This really does need to andrewbensonwilson.org 9 Mitglied der Hofkapelle München Seconda Prat!ca im Reichssaal Utopia & InAlto in der Schottenkirche