Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Exactly 500 years ago, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, "the prince of music," was born. The Muziekgebouw is celebrating this special anniversary with the British Tallis Scholars, beloved guests of the Muziekgebouw who have received many enthusiastic welcomes. Alongside Palestrina's choral music, works by his Spanish counterpart, Tomás Luis de Victoria, will also be performed. The Tallis Scholars sang in the cathedral of Palestrina, Italy, in January 2025 to commemorate the composer's 500th birthday.
The Missa Papae Marcelli
Many agree: the Missa Papae Marcelli is the absolute highlight of Palestrina's oeuvre. And yet it is only one of his more than one hundred masses. He wrote this mass in 1562 in honor of Pope Marcellus II. Since then, the work has been anything but forgotten. This radiant, gently polyphonic masterpiece has been performed many times during papal coronations, including that of Pope Paul VI in 1963.
