Giulio Prandi - Davide Perez: Mattutino De' Morti (2014)

This is the third volume of a fascinating baroque journey with Ghislieri Choir and Consort. The Neapolitan composer Davide Perez (1711 – 1778) is now the centre of our explorations with his impressive Sacred Works.

“Such august, such affecting music I never heard and perhaps may never hear again” William Beckford, 1787

Lisbon, 1770: the court of the King of Portugal is gathered at the sanctuary of Cabo Espichel. Here, at the top of a sheer cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the audience was blown away by David Perez’s music.

The Mattutino de’ Morti immediately became a cornerstone of Portuguese repertoire and was performed every year, until the end of the nineteenth century, by the musicians of the Brotherhood of St. Cecilia in memory of their late colleagues. Its performance was initially coupled with Jomelli’s Requiem and in later years with Mozart’s Requiem.

This timeless masterpiece by a great Italian composer, which both pays tribute to its Baroque heritage and steps far ahead into the Classical era, was brought back to life in 2013 during a tour of some of the most prestigious festivals in Europe, thanks to a project coordinated by the College Ghislieri and Fondation Royaumont in coproduction with the Festival de la Chaise-Dieu.