Hervé Niquet is characterized by two immutable traits: he is a tireless pioneer of forgotten music, and he loves polyphony and "great forms".
A few years ago, he provoked a sensation by exhuming the monumental music of Striggio... For the 30th anniversary of his ensemble, Le Concert Spirituel, he is attacking a new summit of polyphony: a Mass by Orazio Benevolo (1605-1672) performed by 8 choirs in 4 voices, accompanied by 16 continuists. In concert, the choirs are distributed in the nave, the audience being in the middle.
Benevolo was one of the greatest geniuses of polychorality, a prolix composer, representing the pomp of French art in Rome. He finished his career as chapel master at the Vatican.
This music was revived thanks to the work of the great musicologist Jean Lionnet, who for years copied by hand the work of many Italian composers from the Vatican Music Fund, from which no documents could be taken out. Thus the Missa Si Deus pro nobis is restored here, accompanied by vocal and instrumental pieces by Monteverdi, Frescobaldi and Palestrina.
"This record is the result of two meetings. First of all Jean Lionnet a researcher at the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, 30 years ago Jean entrusted me with several scores copied by his hand when he spent hours (at the Vatican) transcribing forbidden manuscripts.
Ugolini, Benevolo and Lorenzani were in a good place in these 300 pages he entrusted to me. And it is with the reading of this kilo of scores that the meeting with Benevolo was a shock!
I never stopped, after a record of motets with 2 choirs recorded 20 years ago, to show that Benevolo is one of those great forgotten Italian geniuses. Well here's the dream come true with a team of musicians galvanized by music that totally surpasses us."
Hervé Niquet
This programme is supported by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, whouse aim is to encourage the promotion of choral singing.
