The present activity of the Cappella Musicale di San Petronio started in the 1980s. After fifty years of silence, it was re-established with two basic aims: to assist the dignity of the liturgy through singing and sacred music and to rediscover and make the most of the musical heritage kept in the huge archive in the Basilica.
With the intention of pursuing this second aim in the best way, the Cappella has put together an orchestra with original instruments, the first in Italy, and works in close collaboration with the most acclaimed performers of Early Music. This structuring has made it possible to present again in a historically accurate way many forgotten masterpieces, made available to audiences according to performance criteria and, therefore, with a resulting sound which is as faithful as possible to that of the time when they were composed. Moreover, San Petronio has kept intact the great horseshoe-shaped choir loft and the two organs of inestimable value by Lorenzo da Prato (1475) and Baldassarre Malamini (1596). Not only the musical sources but also the original performing area and the historical instruments have come down to us.
The Cappella has given concerts throughout Europe and boasts an extensive discography; the latest CD, dedicated to the Messa a tre cori di Giacomo Antonio Perti, was released by Dynamic in 2012 and achieved the ‘5 diapason’ from the most authoritative French music magazine.
