Patrick Dupré Quigley, conductor

Sometimes an especially intriguing person – in this case Maria of Spain, a future Holy Roman Empress – inspires a composer – Victoria – to produce a commensurately intriguing work. Who was the woman whose connection to Victoria elicited his deeply personal Requiem?

Born in 1528 to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal, Maria was part of the most elite royal family in Europe and was a patron of the greatest musical artists of her time. As a child at the Spanish court under Charles V, and later serving as regent for her father and brother (Philip II), Maria daily encountered the most famous choir in the world: the Cappila Flemenca. In 1548 Maria married her first cousin Archduke Maximilian and in 1564 became Holy Roman Empress and Archduchess of Austria. In Vienna Maria had at her disposal the musical establishment of the Imperial Hapsburg Court. After the death of her husband, Maxmillian II, Maria retired to the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (The Convent of the Royal Barefooted) in Madrid and had as her personal chapelmaster the inimitable Tomás Luis de Victoria. Upon her death, Victoria composed his six-voice Requiem, arguably the composer’s greatest work and a testament to Maria’s legacy.

Join us for a Pre-Concert Conversation one hour before each concert. Pre-Concert Conversations generally last 30 minutes.

Concert Schedule:

VENUE LOCATIONS & PARKING