Journey to 17th-century Mexico for glorious, rarely heard polyphony: dazzling rhythms, rich harmonies and the extraordinary stories!

Journey to 17th-century Mexico and discover a remarkable musical culture flourishing thousands of miles from the great cathedrals of Renaissance Europe.

Drawing on the extraordinary surviving choirbooks of Puebla Cathedral, this programme explores the music of Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla alongside Palestrina, Guerrero, Morales and Vivanco. It traces a musical world rooted in the great European polyphonic tradition, but increasingly transformed by the sounds, rhythms and energy of the New World.

From intimate, expressive polyphony to spectacular music for double choir, Padilla’s writing is by turns contemplative, dramatic and exhilarating. The result is music that feels both centuries old and startlingly fresh