| Ensemble Odhecaton | |
| Paolo Da Col | Direction |
Full price: NOK 300 Student/senior: NOK 200
Outstanding men's choir from Italy
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli is considered one of the most important choral works from the Renaissance. The Mass is without doubt Palestrina's most famous and most frequently performed work. It was composed in the late 1550s to the memory of Pope Marcellus II, who held office for only three weeks before he died. The popularity of the Mass has endured for over 450 years, thanks mainly to the perfect combination of form and content. There was a debate in the Council of Trent on whether it was desirable to have imitation in polyphonic music because they believed that polyphony obscured the words of the Mass. This debate inspired Palestrina's Mass, and he gave the Council clean, melodic lines that allowed a clear articulation of the text. It is said that when Cardinal Carlo Borromeo heard the Mass, he became convinced that Palestrina's music was too beautiful to be banned by the church. In recent years the Italian men's choir Ensemble Odhecaton has won a Gramophone Award and the Diapason D'or, two of the most prestigious awards in the recording industry. Ensemble Odhecaton, under the direction of conductor Paolo Da Col will perform Palestrina's masterpiece in Oslo Cathedral.