Echos of Heaven
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ProgramPALESTRINA - Pope Marcellus Mass
ArtistsDonald Meineke, Conductor
Choral Arts Philadelphia VenueSaint Patrick's Catholic Church, Rittenhouse
242 S 20th St Philadelphia, PA 19103 |
For nearly a millennium, Rome was the cultural and economic capital of the western world and, following the fall of the Roman Empire, became the official seat of the Roman Catholic Church. As the Catholic church grew in power and influence the finest music, art, and architecture were cultivated in the region, leaving for us a treasure trove of vast riches still to be experienced today. While legends have been refuted that the Roman Catholic church nearly forbid choral polyphony from the Mass had it not been for Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass, there is little doubt that the "Palestrina style" was, and is, the ultimate expression of the Roman school. Choral Arts Philadelphia closes its season with a concert filled with the splendor of the Roman Renaissance as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of Palestrina's birth, his iconic setting of the mass, and explore music of other composers from the Roman School who sought to capture a glimpse of heaven through music.
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