Ensemble Turicum - Portugal: Vésperas de Nossa Senhora & Missa a quatro (2014)

The Portuguese-Brazilian composer Marcos António Portugal (1762-1830) was best known in his day for his fifty or so operas, but he also composed a huge body of more than 160 religious choral works. The two here — in their first performances in modern times — illustrate his conservative Classical style as well as the operatic influences on his sacred music, but the absence of female voices from the chorus and violins from the orchestra bring an unexpectedly dark colour.

Ensemble Turicum, ensemble
Mathias Weibel, director
Luiz Alves da Silva, director