Saint Peter’s Tears

8:15 pm, Thursday, 12 April 2012
Teresia van Avilakerk, Westeinde 12a, 2512 HD The Hague (map)

4:00 pm, Saturday, 14 April 2012
Eendrachtskerk, Eendrachtsstraat 95, 3012 XH Rotterdam (map).

Entrance: €15. Advance sales: €12.50

Cappella Gabrieli in the Hague. Photo: Marion Smits

We would like to invite you to our performance of Lagrime di San Pietro by Lassus (1532-1594). Observant fans will recall that we have sung this piece twice before, in 2004 and 2005. This masterpiece deserves to be performed more than once, and after Easter.

Why after Easter and not before? The Lagrime expresses the agony of the apostle Peter, who is tormented with remorse over his betrayal of Christ after the crucifixion and resurrection. Peter’s agony does not stop after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ (hence the timing of our concerts).

Peter’s conscience is inimitably voiced by the Italian poet Luigi Tansillo (1510-1568) in his Lagrime di San Pietro, the last work he wrote. In his poem, Tansillo shows great psychological insight and describes Peter’s feelings and thoughts aptly.

Tansillo’s swan song inspired Lassus (also known as Orlando di Lasso) to compose his sacred madrigal cycle Lagrime of San Pietro, a work that he unfortunately never heard performed because he died shortly after its completion. Lassus’ composition for seven voices is unusually long by Renaissance standards: one hour of uninterrupted counterpoint.

Cappella Gabrieli is one of few choirs in the Netherlands to perform this work in public.

Programme

Orlando di Lasso (1594):
Lagrime di San Pietro