Capella Pratensis

(NL)

Jacob Obrecht “Missa Maria Zart”

For almost forty years, the Gramophone Award-winning ensemble Cappella Pratensis has been renowned for its innovative approach to the performance of Renaissance polyphonic music, being one of only a handful of professional ensembles in the world who perform directly from historical notation, as opposed to transcriptions in the form of a modern choral score. The ensemble’s 2023 recording of Obrecht’s Missa Maria Zart won the Premio Abbiati della critica musicale, was awarded with a Disco Excepcional by the Spanish music magazine Scherzo, and was rated five stars by the Spanish magazine Ritmo.

Jacob Obrecht’s Missa Maria zart is one of the most expansive and ambitious Mass settings of the late 15th century. Based on the popular Marian devotional song Maria zart, the work unfolds with remarkable contrapuntal richness and expressive intensity. Obrecht transforms the simple chant melody into a vast musical architecture, combining technical mastery with deep spiritual resonance, and creating a luminous meditation on devotion to the Virgin Mary.