MISSA PAPAE MARCELLI
Palestrina’s Masterpiece
Ensemble Vox Luminis (Belgija/Belgium)
Lionel Meunier, artistic director (Belgium)
Iris Bouman, Victoria Cassano, Tessa Roos, Korneel Van Neste (cantus)
Jonathan Hanley, João Moreira (altus)
Olivier Berten, Adriaan De Koster, Massimo Lombardi, Angelo Testori (tenor)
Guglielmo Buonsanti, Lionel Meunier, Andrés Soler Castaño, Pieter Stas (bassus)
In the mid-16th century, a heated debate raged in the Vatican about polyphony in religious practice. The complex play of simultaneously sung lines made it difficult to understand the words, sceptics maintained, which was good reason to ban polyphonic music from the liturgy. Their most notorious opponent – as legend has it – was Pope Marcellus II. His adamant insistence that polyphony could in fact be clearly understood may have been the most remarkable statement of his papacy, which only lasted 22 days.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was charged with writing a new mass to prove the Pope right. The Missa Papae Marcelli is a success in every respect: transparent textures ensure the texts are fluent without the slightest compromise in terms of style or refinement. The piece became a paragon of Tridentine polyphony, inspiring generations of composers and leading to the epithet ‘saviour of polyphony’ for da Palestrina.
The first part of the concert will be devoted to the Belgian composer Roland de Lassus, born in Mons in 1532, whose Lamentationes are among the most sensitive works in the polyphonic repertoire.
PROGRAMME
Roland de Lassus Lamentations à 5
Secundi diei
Lamentatio prima
Lamentatio secunda
Lamentatio tertia
Tertii diei
Lamentatio prima
Lamentatio secunda
Lamentatio tertia
Trumpa pertrauka
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli
Kyrie k
Gloria
Credo
Sanctus
Agnus dei
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PERFORMERS
LIONEL MEUNIER, artistic director (Belgium)
Internationally renowned as the founder and artistic director of the award-winning Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis, French conductor and bass Lionel Meunier is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic and highly acclaimed artistic leaders in the fields of historical performance and choral music active today. Praised for his detailed yet spirited interpretative approach, he is now increasingly in demand as a guest conductor and artistic director with choirs, ensembles, and orchestras worldwide.
As a guest conductor, Lionel has worked with Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall, Netherlands Bach Society, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Salzburg Bach Choir, and the Boston Early Music Festival Collegium and has led projects with Vox Luminis in collaboration with Orchestra B’Rock, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and L’Achéron, among many others. Lionel maintains a close relationship with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and Consort, returning regularly to lead collaborative projects with Vox Luminis that cover a wide repertoire. He is a regular guest at The Juilliard School, where he leads projects with Juilliard 415 and students from Vocal Arts.
Born in France, Lionel was trained as a singer and recorder player and began his career as a bass in renowned ensembles such as Collegium Vocale Ghent, Amsterdam Baroque Choir, and Capella Pratensis. In 2013, he was awarded the title of Namurois de l’Année (Namur Citizen of the Year) for culture in the Belgian town of Namur, where he lives with his family.
ENSEMBLE VOX LUMINIS (Belgium)
From its very first notes in 2004, early music ensemble Vox Luminis has claimed the international spotlight with its unique sound. Founder, artistic director and bass Lionel Meunier composed the ensemble in such a way that each voice can shine solo as well as merge into one luminous fabric of sound.
The magic of Vox Luminis has not escaped the international music scene and press. In 2012, the ensemble won the Baroque Vocal Award and the prestigious Recording of the Year at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards. Seven years later, the Choral Award from the same professional magazine followed. Meanwhile, the trophy cabinet filled up with awards such as ‘Klara Ensemble of the Year 2018’, a 2018 BBC Music Magazine Award, numerous Diapasons d’Or, and others.
In 2021, Vox Luminis started a lasting partnership with the prestigious Freiburger Barockorchester and the Freiburger BarockConsort for several projects per year.
The ensemble is a welcome guest at major concert halls and festivals worldwide, including Bozar in Brussels, Auditorio Nacional en Teatro Real Madrid, Palau de la Musica Barcelona, Salle Gaveau and Auditorium de Radio France in Paris, Wigmore Hall London, Philharmonie Berlin and Cologne, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Lincoln Center New York, Jordan Hall Boston, Festival de Wallonie, Festival de Saintes, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Musikfest Bremen, Bachfest Leipzig, Klangvokal Dortmund, the Salzburger Festspiele, Aldeburgh Festival et Boston Early Music Festival, amongst others.
