Rediscovered Treasures - Chicago

The Chicago Arts Orchestra (CAO) presents the sixth installment of its popular Rediscovered Treasures series, presenting 18th-century classical music of Spain and Mexico for the first time in the modern era.  Under the direction of Maestro Javier José Mendoza, the CAO is joined by the Marion Consort and its artistic director, Amy Bearden. Both ensembles are acclaimed for their artful and stylistic abilities in historical performance and will unite to re-premiere works that have not been performed for nearly three centuries. “Rediscovered Treasures: Requiem & Coronation” begins at 8p.m. Friday, March 11, at St. James Cathedral, 65 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL.

“Rediscovered Treasures: Requiem & Coronation” features two large works by Ignacio Jerusalem, the 18th-century chapel master of the Mexico City Cathedral. Opening the evening is the world re-premiere of Jerusalem’s newly discovered Requiem written to honor the death of Ferdinand VI of Spain. Following the requiem is Jerusalem’s Al combate, a celebratory ode in honor of King Charles III (Ferdinand VI’s successor) which is the single largest piece of secular music known to survive from its period and is a paradigm of the galant style that proliferated in 18th-century New Spain.