Lux æterna

Presented by Musique Sacrée Notre-Dame de Paris

Born in Italy at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, the Baroque aesthetic profoundly transformed musical language by placing the expression of affects and the power of the text at the heart of composition. From the masters of the late Renaissance to the great figures of early Baroque, this fertile period saw the emergence of new forms of writing that would leave a lasting mark on the history of sacred music. Centred around Antonio Lotti's Missa pro Defunctis, this programme brings together works by Monteverdi, Cavalli, Landi, Frescobaldi, Sances and several of their contemporaries. Meditations on the human condition, Marian prayers, devotional pieces and songs of praise outline a musical journey where the shadow of mourning and earthly fragility gradually gives way to hope and light. A striking journey into the spiritual and expressive genius of Italian Baroque.