Music in the North – Cycle of Baroque Music

As part of the 600th anniversary celebrations of the Discovery of the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, the “Music in the North” cycle of Baroque music aims to explore and promote among the Madeiran public one of the most remarkable and rich periods of our musical heritage from the 17th and 18th centuries.

A period of great transformations, it laid the foundations for the musical system still in use today and produced remarkable composers and works we all know and love.
The title, “Music in the North”, refers to the fact that the entire cycle is to be presented on the north coast of Madeira, thus giving these municipalities a cultural event with unique characteristics on the island. This cycle of music was presented by the Regional Secretary of Tourism and Culture at the congress “São Jorge – Memory and Future” held in August of last year. The focus on the Baroque period arose from the relationship with the rich heritage existing in this parish: the treasured Parish Church of São Jorge.
Centred on sacred music, the programme will present works by great international composers, such as the Stabat Mater by Pergolesi, together with a Salve Regina by Alessandro Scarlatti, both works for Soprano, Alto and Orchestra which will be interpreted by the Mateus Baroque Orchestra on period instruments. Also included are works by Vivaldi and Bach and by famous Portuguese composers such as António Teixeira, Carlos Seixas and Francisco António de Almeida, among others, interpreted by two vocal ensembles dedicated to the interpretation of polyphonic music from Portugal. The aim is to showcase some of the national and international music of this period.
The programmes also seek to mark the period of Lent which coincides with the festival, putting an emphasis on works that were composed for this period and thus encouraging reflection.

PARISH CHURCH OF SÃO VICENTE
9 MARCH (Saturday) 20:00
“In Festo S. Vicentii – Music for Saint Vincent”

The patron saint of this village, to which he “lends” his name, provides the pretext for revisiting major works dedicated to Saint Vincent from the repertoire of Portuguese Baroque sacred music from the first half of the 18th century. Under the pretext of upgrading the Royal Chapel to a Patriarchal Chapel, King João V promoted a profound musical reform in the early 18th century, imposing the Roman style as the paradigm of religious music in Portugal. The engagement of foreign musicians, headed by Domenico Scarlatti, and the sending to Rome of young Portuguese composers, such as António Teixeira and Francisco António de Almeida, were fundamental to the success of this royal reform.
Among the works presented, the Responsories to Matins of Saint Vincent by António Teixeira are particularly worthy of mention owing to the infrequency with which they are performed. The highlight of the concert will be the modern première (the first time it has been performed since the 18th century) of the Angelis suis antiphon by António Teixeira.
This programme dedicated to St. Vincent also aims to establish a relationship with the Lent period by reflecting on the idea of sacrifice, a virtue embodied in the life of this sainted martyr.

PROGRAMME
~AD MATUTINUM~

António TEIXEIRA (1707-1774)
RESPONSORIUM I Sacram beati Vicentii
RESPONSORIUM II Si jubes Pater sanctes
RESPONSORIUM III Tanta grassabatur crudelitas
RESPONSORIUM IV Ecce iam in sublime agor
Carlos SEIXAS (1704-1742)
RESPONSORIUM V Ardebat Vicentius
~AD MISSAM~
Francisco António de ALMEIDA (1703-1754)
Si Quaeris Miracula
Justus ut palma florebit
~AD VESPERAS~
António TEIXEIRA
Angelis suis Deus [modern première]
Francisco António de ALMEIDA
Magnificat

POLYPHONOS

Polyphōnos, the Greek term for the coexistence of many sounds or voices, is a vocal and instrumental ensemble based in Lisbon. Founded by soprano Raquel Alão, the group’s artistic director is baritone and musicologist José Bruto da Costa.
The ensemble’s core repertoire focuses on Portuguese and Iberian music from the 15th to the 18th centuries and is complemented by contemporary compositions by Portuguese composers. The vocal and instrumental formation is variable and depends on the programmes presented.
The debut live performance of the Polyphōnos Ensemble took place at the Festival Terras sem Sombra in the Church of São Salvador in Odemira. The group also held the closing concert of the International Conference The Anatomy of Polyphonic Music Around 1500 at the D. Luís I Cultural Centre in Cascais, among many others.
This programme will feature an ensemble of ten performers, including 8 singers (Sopranos, Altos, Tenors and Basses) and two instrumentalists (Harpsichord and Cello), that is, two choirs with soloists and two continuo instruments that enable the presentation of works with 4, 6 and 8 voices, characteristic of this repertoire.

Raquel Alão – Soprano
Sara Afonso – Soprano
Arthur Filemon – Alto
António Lourenço – Alto
André Lacerda – Tenor
Nuno Raimundo – Tenor
Tiago Mota – Bass
José Bruto da Costa – Bass and direction
Maria Bayley – Harpsichord
Pedro Massarrão – Cello