Description
O Crux Benedicta: Lent and Holy Week at the Sistine Chapel CD
UPC: 0028948356737
MPN: 483 5673 GH
Brand Name: Deutsche Grammophon
Overview: Renaissance Music as Performed for the Popes
O Crux Benedicta is a profound studio recording by the Sistine Chapel Choir, conducted by Massimo Palombella. This album, their fourth for Deutsche Grammophon, is dedicated entirely to the glorious choral music traditionally performed for Ash Wednesday and Holy Week liturgies in the Sistine Chapel.
The compilation is presented in liturgical order and features a stunning array of Gregorian Chant and sublime Renaissance settings by masters who composed specifically for the papal court, including Palestrina, Lassus, Victoria, Festa, and De Rore. This recording not only offers exceptional musicality but also provides an authentic, atmospheric glimpse into centuries of sacred tradition within one of the world's most hallowed spaces. This CD is indispensable for early music enthusiasts, collectors of choral sacred music, and those interested in the history of Renaissance music.
Product Features
- Artist: Sistine Chapel Choir (Cappella Musicale Pontificia)
- Conductor: Massimo Palombella (Maestro Direttore/Chief Chorus Master)
- Format: CD, Album, Studio Recording
- Genre: Classical, Early Music, Sacred Music
- Style: Renaissance, Gregorian Chant
- Release Year: 2018
- Total Time: 75:22
- Key Composers: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Orlando di Lasso, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Costanzo Festa, Cipriano de Rore.
- Recording Location: Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
- Label: Deutsche Grammophon GmbH
- Country: Made in the EU
Track Listing Highlights
The album presents 22 tracks, moving chronologically through the solemnity of Lent and the triumphant joy of Easter morning. The inclusion of Gregorian Chant alongside complex polyphony emphasizes the liturgical function of the music.
| Composer | Composition/Piece | Thematic Note |
|---|---|---|
| GREGORIAN CHANT | Misereris omnium | Ash Wednesday Introit |
| PALESTRINA | Audi, benigne Conditor | Hymn for Lent |
| PALESTRINA | Vexilla regis prodeunt | Passiontide Hymn |
| FESTA | Miserere | Lenten penitential Psalm setting |
| PALESTRINA | Popule meus | Reproaches for Good Friday |
| PALESTRINA | Stabat Mater | Hymn to Mary at the Cross |
| VICTORIA | Vere languores nostros | Holy Week motet on Christ's suffering |
| DE RORE | O Crux benedicta | Meditation on the Holy Cross |
| PALESTRINA | Surrexit pastor bonus | Easter motet (Christ is risen) |
| VICTORIA | Regina caeli | Marian antiphon for the Easter season |
Publishers
- Record Label: Deutsche Grammophon GmbH (A Universal Music Company)
- Phonographic Copyright / Copyright: Deutsche Grammophon GmbH (2018)
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