THE GRAND FINALE IN ROME
The Perelada Festival concluded its extraordinary edition in Rome today with a day rich in symbolism and artistic expression. The closing programme united heritage, Renaissance music and Benedictine spirituality in three acts set in iconic venues across the city. Each space, with its own character and history, offered audiences a unique experience that carried the spirit of the Empordà festival's Easter edition to the Eternal City.
Reviving the Sounds of the Iberian Renaissance with Cantoría
At 5:30 p.m., the House of the Knights of Rhodes —the historic headquarters of the Order of Malta, founded in 1048 and considered a sovereign state without territory— hosted a concert by the vocal ensemble Cantoría. With their programme El Jubilate, the group offered an audience of 120 a journey through Iberian Renaissance music, focusing on villancicos and ensaladas, secular and Christmas genres that flourished on the Iberian Peninsula in the 16th century. Among the composers featured were Mateo Flecha "El Vell", Bartomeu Càrceres, and several anonymous composers, who performed works from the songbooks of Uppsala, Barcelona and Medinaceli as well as popular carols like Riu, riu chiu and excerpts from the ensaladas La Justa and El Jubilate.
This repertoire reflects the vitality of a musical tradition that combined the poetic simplicity of the villancico —typically structured around a short refrain followed by verses, designed for group singing and featuring religious or secular themes— with the complexity of the ensalada, an extended work with varied musical sequences often incorporating multiple languages, styles, and poetic metrics. These genres were not confined to courts or cathedrals; their influence spread well beyond the territories of the Spanish Crown, with printed editions documented in cities such as Rome, Milan and Prague.
The Cancionero de Upsala, the main source for the programme, highlights the close ties between Renaissance music and the Valencian viceregal court of the Dukes of Calabria. Serving Ferdinand of Aragon and his successive wives, this court boasted a musical chapel of extraordinary scale, rivalled only by that of Emperor Charles V, with musicians such as Mateo Flecha, chapel master in Valencia, and Bartomeu Cárceres. Their works, revived today in Rome, testify to the expressive richness and poetic-musical creativity of this tradition.
Among the villancicos performed in the programme, those pastoral themes predominated, employing devices such as dialogue (Gloria in excelsis Deo pues naçió, Verbum caro) and religious exaltation (Yo me soy la morenica). The only secular villancico in Catalan, Soleta yo so ací, addresses female marital infidelity, illustrating how themes could be reconfigured in "divine" guise for religious contexts. The ensaladas such as El Jubilate and La Trulla by Càrceres, alternate between contrasting musical sections and political references of the time, while La Justa recreates a symbolic tournament between Lucifer and Adam, enriched with vocal onomatopoeia that adds dynamism and theatricality.
The evening was attended by Prince President Lorenzo Borghese, of the Association of Italian Knights of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta; H.E. Ms. Isabel Celaá, Ambassador of Spain to the Holy See; the Hon. Ms. Sònia Hernández, Minister of Culture of the Government of Catalonia; the Rev. Father Manel Gasch i Hurios, Abbot of Montserrat; and Father Bernat Juliol, Commissioner of the Millennium of Montserrat.
This concert showcased the richness and vitality of a tradition which, five centuries later, continues to captivate audiences and affirms the distinctive place of Iberian Renaissance music within the wider European context.
Closing the Edition with the Millenary Sounds of Montserrat
The closing ceremony of the special edition of the Perelada Festival in Rome took place at 8 p.m. at the Basilica of Sant’Anselmo all’Aventino, the global headquarters of the Benedictine Confederation and a training centre where monks from more than forty countries live together, making it an international meeting point for spiritual and academic dialogue. In this unique setting, the Escolania de Montserrat — one of Europe's oldest and most prestigious boys' choirs, founded in the 12th century — conducted by Pau Jorquera and joined by the Capella de Música de Montserrat and soprano Sara Blanch, offered the 230 attendees a musical journey that united centuries of tradition tied to the monastery.
The programme ranged from medieval works preserved in the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat, such as Mariam Matrem, to contemporary compositions by Bernat Vivancos, alongside pieces by historical masters of the Escolania — Cererols, Viola, Rodamilans, or Casanovas. This selection reflected the richness of sacred polyphony, blending interpretative rigour with sonic beauty: the intricate counterpoint of Victoria and Cererols, the sustained and inspired melodies of Rodamilans and Viola, and the vocal complexity of Vivancos' contemporary works, whose music achieves transparency and spirituality.
The performances began with Sota la vostra protecció by Fr. Ireneu Segarra (1917-2005), an adaptation of a traditional Latin Marian hymn influenced by Gregorian chant, followed by Magnificat a 6 veus by Fr. Anselm Viola (1738-1798), with a classicist aesthetic and Hispanic polyphonic influence. Catalan Baroque music was represented by Salve ecos by Fr. Joan Cererols, while the Catalan Renaissance tradition was highlighted with Cançó de maig by Fr. Àngel Rodamilans. The transition to contemporary music was marked by In excelsis by Bernat Vivancos, with its complex harmonies and ethereal textures.
The concert also showcased Catalan sacred and popular music: Ave Maria by Fr. Anselm Ferrer, solemn and devotional; Cant dels ocells, an emblematic piece from the Catalan popular songbook popularised by Pau Casals; and Aestimatus sum by Narcís Casanovas, a motet inspired by European Renaissance polyphony. Victoria's motets, such as Surrexit Pastor Bonus, and Pau Casals' Nigra sum highlighted the continuity of Marian worship across the centuries. The evening culminated with Salve Montserratina by Fr. Llorenç Castelló and Virolai, with lyrics by Jacint Verdaguer and music by Fr. Josep Rodoreda, central pieces in Marian devotion and the core of the Escolania's repertoire.
The evening was attended by the Hon. Ms. Sònia Hernández, Minister of Culture of the Government of Catalonia; Monsignor Manuel Nin, bishop and apostolic exarch for the Catholics of the Byzantine tradition in Greece; the Rev. Father Jeremias Schröder, Primate Abbot of Sant’Anselm; the Rev. Father Manel Gasch i Hurios, Abbot of Montserrat; the Rev. Father Ignasi Fossas, President Abbot of the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation OSB; Father Bernat Juliol, Commissioner of the Millennium of Montserrat; the Hon. Mr. Ramon Bassas, Director General of Religious Affairs; and Mr. Miquel Brugat, Mayor of Peralada.
This concert, part of the millennium celebrations of the monastery's foundation, offered an experience that synthesised the spiritual and musical essence of Montserrat, highlighting the living history of the Escolania and its role in the international dissemination of Catalan sacred music.
Montserrat opens an exhibition in Rome
This morning, the exhibition "Montserrat: a Benedictine contribution to the construction of Europe" was officially opened at the Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome, where it will remain open to visitors until 14th October. Presented in Italian and with immersive technological resources, the exhibition offers a tour of the monastery and sanctuary of Montserrat, highlighting how the Rule of St. Benedict has contributed to the construction of Europe, while emphasising the values of community and Benedictine life. Organised with the support of the Government of Catalonia, the exhibition also allows visitors to explore spaces that are usually inaccessible and includes testimonies from internationally and locally recognised figures. The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the Roman Curia, the Abbey of Montserrat, and the Government of Catalonia, and featured performances by the Escolania de Montserrat choir.