After more than three hundred years of silence, Giovanni Paolo Colonna’s masterpiece “Missa a più cori” returns to the concert stage. This work by the 17th-century Italian Baroque master will be performed at the Klaipėda Concert Hall as a modern-day world premiere, presented by an international project bringing together Lithuanian soloists from “Canto Fiorito,” the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra, and the Lithuanian National Philharmonic.
G. P. Colonna, who worked in Bologna, was not only a composer, organist, and teacher, but also one of the most prominent musical figures of his era. His influence extended to the most important cultural centers of Europe, and even Leopold I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, commissioned sacred works from him. It was G. P. Colonna who contributed to the development of the missa concertata style, in which the tradition of the Mass was combined with a rich instrumental sound, a dialogue between multiple choirs, and the musical grandeur characteristic of the Baroque.
The “Missa a più cori,” composed for three choirs and a string orchestra, reveals the composer’s ability to manage large ensembles and create an impressive musical texture. Performed alongside this work, G. P. Colonna’s “Lamentations” will further deepen the audience’s appreciation of sacred music. After several centuries, this music will once again come to life through historical sources, allowing us to rediscover a composer whose name was an important part of European Baroque history.
The program will feature:
Giovanni Paolo Colonna (1637–1695)
“Missa a più cori con più cori di stromenti” (Mass for multiple choirs and multiple instrumental groups)
“Sacre Lamentationi della Settimana Santa a voce sola” (Lamentations of Holy Week for solo voice)
