Peter’s Repentance

Pain, sorrow, repentance: the apostle Peter was full of remorse after having denied Jesus three times. In 1594, Renaissance composer Orlando di Lasso created a beautiful musical setting of this story: Lagrime di San Pietro (Saint Peter’s Tears). He dedicated it to Pope Clement VIII and it was his last composition. Ensemble Voces Suaves is known for its beautiful interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque music, based on historically informed performance practice.

Voces Suaves (literally: sweet voices) was founded in 2015. The choir has already won several awards in its short existence, including the Diapason Découverte and the Choc de Classica. With seven singers, the choir performs Di Lasso’s polyphonic masterpiece, which is also based on the number seven – seven voices, written in seven of the eight church modes and consisting of 21 (3 times 7) parts. A profoundly emotional experience. Thirteen years before Di Lasso, Palestrina composed his First book of madrigals. Five of them will be performed.