Orquestra Real Câmara and Officium Ensemble
Enrico Onofri, musical direction
Pedro Teixeira, musical direction of the choir

22nd March - Saturday - 9PM
Lisbon - Church of Nossa Senhora das Mercês

Free entrance

Synopsis
In the second half of the 18th century, various instrumental solutions without violins associated with the sacred repertoire emerged in the context of the Portuguese court. Among these were works with concertante violas for Holy Week, which became commonplace not only in the daily music of the court, but also in Portuguese music in general. This tradition was probably the result of the strong influence of Neapolitan music in Portugal, as part of a practice of including solo bass instruments in liturgical moments of special gravity, such as Holy Week or the Day of the Faithful Departed. Among the composers of the Patriarchal Chapel who wrote for this instrumentation, José Joaquim dos Santos (1747-1801) stands out. Part of a project by the Royal Chamber to recover and record the work of the composer, this concert presents, in a modern premiere, the Good Friday Responsories for two violas, bassoon, cello and bass, the manuscript of which is in the National Library of Portugal.