“Cantate Domino” Concert – Les Voix Animées

The science of harmony and the mastery of rhetoric are the tools of an art whose ultimate goal is to lead the mind toward an absolute that can touch the divine. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, “Princeps musicae,” undeniably possessed the secrets of this craft, which today allows us to access the spirit and sensibilities of an era: the Renaissance. Les Voix Animées today celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Roman master, who is one of their principal companions on this musical journey. In this program, the vocal ensemble pairs him with his alter ego, Orlande de Lassus, whom Ronsard aptly nicknamed the “Divine Orlande.” These two particularly dissimilar composers—one prolific and whimsical, the other rigorous and witty—were united by death, which took them both in the same year, 1594.

Music by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Orlande de Lassus.