Magnificat a 7
Litaniae Beatae Mariae
Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater

Priest, scholar, mystic, singer, organist and composer - six persons all rolled into one. That is, quite simply, why Victoria is the most outstanding composer of the Renaissance.

Although he began and ended his life in Spain, Victoria spent most of his working years in Rome, soaking up the great tradition of polyphonic writing and immaculate counterpoint but always preserving his Iberian roots and bringing to his music a richness of texture and a perfect sense of line. Five years ago, Harry Christophers and The Sixteen recorded a brand new version of Victoria’s Requiem and toured it to sold-out venues across the UK. The ensemble will continue its exploration of the music of this great Spanish composer in 2011 bringing his unique sound to ever wider audiences. To mark the 400th anniversary of his death, a brand new recording of works by Victoria will be released in February. On this recording, The Sixteen explores some of the sumptuous music Victoria wrote in honour of the Virgin Mary. Whilst his glorious Missa Alma Redemptoris Mater forms the central part of the disc, it is the intensely beautiful Marian motets which define Victoria as the greatest composer of the Renaissance.