The Royal Wind Music • The Orange Tree Courtyard (CD)

The Orange Tree Courtyard
Renaissance Music in and around the Cathedral of Seville

•• THE ORANGE TREE COURTYARD WAS OUR FEATURED ALBUM FOR MAY 2023 ••
Click here to read our blog about this release!

An array of international musicians perform repertoire from the golden age of polyphony on an impressive collection of renaissance recorders: together they are The Royal Wind Music. The group was founded in 1997 by Paul Leenhouts and has captivated a steadily-growing worldwide audience ever since with its performances of instrumental music from the period 1520-1640. Playing entirely from memory and without a conductor, The Royal Wind Music is also known for its engaging performances and ability to communicate with the audience.

The Cathedral of Seville is a gigantic building even by today's standards - in 1401, the city's ecclesiastical superiors decided to build a huge church in place of the former mosque, which future generations would still marvel at, and is one of the largest churches in the world.

From the former mosque, the magnificent tower "La Giralda" remains, as well as the courtyard planted with orange trees, which also gives the name to the new CD by The Royal Wind Music.

The flute consort, consisting of 11 recorders of all sizes, takes the listener on a walk around and into the cathedral and lets Renaissance works created for this place sound at each station.

The walk begins in the famous orange tree courtyard, goes to the magnificent altar of the Virgin Mary, looks out over the city from the tower, visits the tombs of the musicians Francisco Guerrero and Francisco Peraza as well as Christopher Columbus' son, the scholar Hernando Colon, until the path ends again in the courtyard.

The music gathers the who's who of the Spanish Renaissance: Pedro de Escobar, Francisco Guerrero, Cristobal de Morales, Miguel de Fuenllana, to name but a few.

PC10448 • Released 2023