Brighton Consort

The programme features works by two of the most influential composers in Spanish musical history, Cristóbal de Morales, who lived in the early 16th century, and the slightly later Tomas Luis de Victoria, whose work culminated in the exquisite Requiem of 1603, which will form the 2nd half of Brighton Consort’s performance.

Although these composers spent much of their earlier working lives soaking up the influences of the great musical hub of the time, renaissance Italy, they both returned to Spain in their later careers. They composed works that were unmistakably Spanish in style. The Victoria Requiem, in particular, has an austere tone very much in keeping with the emotion displayed in the great religious artworks of the time by such masters as Velázquez and would have been a perfect accompaniment to the recent, wonderful “Sacred made Real” exhibition at the National Gallery.

Brighton Consort was founded 40 years ago, and during the 1990s was directed by Michael Donkin, then organist at St Andrew’s Church, West Tarring. Its present director, Deborah Roberts, sang for many years with the renowned Tallis Scholars and is an active researcher of renaissance vocal music. She is now increasingly well known locally as one of the two artistic directors of the Brighton Early Music Festival.

St Botolph’s Church, Lansdowne Road, 7.30 pm. Tickets £10 (£8 concessions) from www.brightonconsort.org.uk, by phone (01273 833746) or on the door.
Image by Paul Barrow

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