Palestrina 500

Exactly 500 years ago, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, ‘the prince of music’, was born. We are celebrating this special anniversary with the British Tallis Scholars, cherished guests of the Muziekgebouw, who have who have performed here many times to great acclaim. In addition to the choral works of Palestrina, the programme features music by his Spanish counterpart, Tomás Luis de Victoria. The Tallis Scholars sang in the cathedral of Palestrina, Italy, in January 2025, to mark the 500th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

Many agree: the Missa Papae Marcelli is the absolute highlight of Palestrina’s oeuvre. Despite it being only one of his over a hundred masses. He composed this mass in 1562 to honour Pope Marcellus II. Since then, the work has been anything but forgotten. This luminous, mildly polyphonic masterpiece has been performed at many papal coronations, including that of Pope Paul VI in 1963.