Armada
Music from Tudor-England and Spain's 'golden age'
With music by Byrd, Escobar, Francisco de la Torre, Henry VIII, Ortiz a.o. As guest: Torsten Müller, percussion
Spain and England had a multifaceted relationship during the Renaissance. Friendly at first, the kingdoms were linked: Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of the famous "Catholic kings" Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. It was his first marriage, but he had it annulled so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. To do this, he broke away from the Pope and the Church and appointed himself head of the Anglican Church, which he had founded himself. The foundation stone was laid for the enmity with Spain, which developed further and further into a war of the confessions. On the one hand, there was strict Catholic Spain, on the other, England, whose Anglican Church was close to Protestantism.
The child of the relationship between Henry and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth, was later to become one of the most powerful queens. The relationship with Spain, which was initially still somewhat neutral, became increasingly strained. For example, Elizabeth supported the Protestant Netherlands, which rebelled against Spanish rule. She reigned for 45 years and, among other things, defeated the Spanish Armada in the famous naval battle.
Both under Elizabeth and her father Henry, the arts flourished, and numerous musicians, painters and writers were appointed by them to the English court. The king himself was an enthusiastic musician who even wrote his own compositions. Famous artists and musicians were also active everywhere in the powerful Spanish dominions.
The programme combines works from the English royal house of Tudor with others from Spain's "golden age".