Reges

We know little about the biography of Pierre de Manchicourt (around 1510-1564), and recordings of his music are also rare. The vocal ensemble Beauty Farm takes up the cudgels for this Franco-Flemish Renaissance master, who is still only known to a few specialists. The album sheds a representative light on the sacred music of this composer, who was, after all, Kapellmeister to Philip II in Madrid in the last years of his life.Four masses - including the first recording of the Missa de Domina - show that Manchicourt was one of the grand masters of vocal polyphony.

We know little about Pierre de Manchicourt's biography and recordings of his music are rare. "beauty farm" takes up the cudgels for this Franco-Flemish master of the Renaissance, who is probably only known to insiders. The album "Manchicourt - Masses" sheds a representative light on the sacred music of the composer, who worked as Kapellmeister to Philip II in Madrid in the last years of his life. Four masses - including the first recording of the "Missa de Domina" - show that Manchicourt was one of the grand masters of vocal polyphony.

We know little about Pierre de Manchicourt's biography and recordings of his music are rare. "beauty farm" takes up the cudgels for this Franco-Flemish master of the Renaissance, who is probably only known to insiders. The album "Manchicourt - Masses" sheds a representative light on the sacred music of the composer, who worked as Kapellmeister to Philip II in Madrid in the last years of his life. Four masses - including the first recording of the "Missa de Domina" - show that Manchicourt was one of the grand masters of vocal polyphony.

We know little about the biography of Pierre de Manchicourt (around 1510-1564), and recordings of his music are also rare. The vocal ensemble Beauty Farm takes up the cudgels for this Franco-Flemish Renaissance master, who is still only known to a few specialists. The album sheds a representative light on the sacred music of this composer, who was, after all, Kapellmeister to Philip II in Madrid in the last years of his life.Four masses - including the first recording of the Missa de Domina - show that Manchicourt was one of the grand masters of vocal polyphony.

We know little about Pierre de Manchicourt's biography and recordings of his music are rare. "beauty farm" takes up the cudgels for this Franco-Flemish master of the Renaissance, who is probably only known to insiders. The album "Manchicourt - Masses" sheds a representative light on the sacred music of the composer, who worked as Kapellmeister to Philip II in Madrid in the last years of his life. Four masses - including the first recording of the "Missa de Domina" - show that Manchicourt was one of the grand masters of vocal polyphony.

We know little about the biography of Pierre de Manchicourt (around 1510-1564), and recordings of his music are also rare. The vocal ensemble Beauty Farm takes up the cudgels for this Franco-Flemish Renaissance master, who is still only known to a few specialists. The album sheds a representative light on the sacred music of this composer, who was, after all, Kapellmeister to Philip II in Madrid in the last years of his life.Four masses - including the first recording of the Missa de Domina - show that Manchicourt was one of the grand masters of vocal polyphony.

Musicien de génie, Jean-Baptiste Lully a mis dans les grands motets toute sa science musicale au service d'une intense émotion oratoire. Ces vastes compositions religieuses, au puissant caractère dramatique, étaient représentatives du faste déployé à la cour de Louis XIV. Dies Irae et De Profundis, empreints d'une très grande solennité, furent donnés lors des funérailles royales de l'épouse de Louis XIV, la Reine Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche, en 1683, en la Basilique Saint-Denis. Cette Pompe Funèbre extraordinaire fut magnifiée par les œuvres de Lully, faisant dire à Madame de Sévigné qu´à leur exécution "tous les yeux étaient pleins de larmes". Stéphane Fuget et Les Epopées -une véritable armée de généraux- restituent une version grandiose et chatoyante, théâtrale et oratoire de cette musique, l'habillant d'une abondance ornementale aux scintillements éclatants, comme le soleil fait vibrer les vitraux, les miroirs et les ors de Versailles, jusqu’au vertige de la mort.

Tomás Luis de Victoria’s OFFICIUM HEBDOMADÆ SANCTÆ is one of the most compelling examples of creative genius in a composer, a toweringly poignant and masterpiece on the Passion of Christ, a pure but infinitely subtle creation, Ad majorem Dei gloriam.