‘Liber Primus Epigramatum’, new album by Arte Minima (project by Pedro Sousa Silva)

Arte Minima presents the first volume of a trilogy dedicated to the complete motets of Vicente Lusitano, one of the most important Portuguese Renaissance composers. In this release, celebrated by Pan Classics, we immerse ourselves in the polyphonic richness of the 6- and 8-part motets, revealing the depth and complexity of Lusitano’s vocal writing.

Arte Minima is a project dedicated to the interpretation of music from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, with a special focus on Portuguese musical production from these periods. The working methods employed by the group founded by Pedro Sousa Silva are based on models explored in academic research, which seek to transfer learning and musical interpretation tools from the Renaissance to the 21st century. The interpretative work is conducted directly from the sources, without the mediation of modern transcriptions, and the philological perspective encompasses all aspects (theory, instruments, tunings, etc.) in a relentless pursuit of a deeper understanding of the musical languages of the past.