‘Vox Luminis XL’

For this exceptional concert in the cathedral, the Vox Luminis ensemble brings together a vocal group of "symphonic" proportions. Some 40 voices (!) that are expert in polyphonic singing are brought together to interpret the colossi of the Renaissance repertoire. When one thinks of 40-part motets, two illustrious examples come to mind: Spem in alium by Thomas Tallis, on the English side, and Ecce beata lucem by Alessandro Striggio, on the Italian side. The Franco-Flemish Josquin Desprez also made a name for himself with his 24-part motet, Qui habitat, a piece that carries listeners away in an ecstatic trance with its cyclical, canonic writing. Although the motet O bone Jesu by Scotsman Robert Carver calls for 19 voices, the use of the tutti is confined to certain passages of great dramatic intensity. And we must not forget Media vita by John Sheppard, a nod to the recent entry of Lionel Meunier, the director of Vox Luminis, into midlife. There are musical thrills on the horizon!