CD + DVD
Chanticleer celebrates 30 remarkable years with a musical and visual journey that evokes the vibrant era of struggle, discovery and faith in the California Missions.
Nearly every major town in coastal California derives its name from one of the 21 missions that the Franciscans founded between the years 1769 (Mission San Diego) and 1823 (Mission San Francisco de Solano). For a sizable portion of our “modern” history, the missions were the central religious social, and cultural centers of the entire region—yet the repertoire that was jotted into the Mission choirbooks still remains largely unknown, even to music historians. Similarly, the music archives in the Mexico City Cathedral preserve stacks of gorgeous and erudite sacred music that are largely neglected but worthy of professional attention and performance. Music on this CD delves into these musical frontiers and examines what local Californians would have heard around 200 years ago, both inside and outside the mission walls. Approximately one-third of the repertoire deals with processional pieces: parades and pageantry were part of major feast days. Another third is devoted to the Misa en sol, which most probably was composed by Friar Juan Bautista Sancho during his 26 years at Mission San Antonio de Padua near present-day King City and Paso Robles. The remaining third explores the fabulous music of “America’s Handel,” the Mexican-born Manuel de Sumaya, who is responsible for introducing many of the most up-to-date trends of the High Baroque to the New World. Dr. Craig H. Russell, California Polytechnic State University