VCR | Venice Classic Radio Italy

On 8 October 2025 at 9:00 p.m., in the splendid Palácio Nacional of Mafra (Portugal) – a majestic Baroque complex and UNESCO World Heritage Site – an extraordinary concert will take place, weaving together art, spirituality and musicological research. The ensemble La Grande Chapelle, conducted by Albert Recasens, will perform a programme entirely dedicated to the Stabat Mater and Salve Regina by Domenico Scarlatti and José de Nebra, leading figures of the 18th-century Iberian music scene.

The two composers shared the musical stage in Madrid from 1733 onward. While stylistically different – Scarlatti rooted in Italian counterpoint and Nebra a proponent of the new Spanish sacred language – both left behind works of exquisite refinement, reflecting a period of vibrant cultural exchange among Spain, Italy, and Portugal.

The programme opens with the Salve Regina for four voices by José de Nebra, composed in 1751 and presented here in its world premiere. This is followed by his Stabat Mater (1752), preserved in the cathedral of Ávila: an evocative work for voices, strings, flutes and continuo, combining theatrical expressiveness and deep spirituality.

Complementing the programme are two sacred works by Domenico Scarlatti: the Salve Regina in A major for solo voice and continuo (c. 1756), from his Madrid period, and the renowned Stabat Mater for ten voices, composed around 1715 during his Roman years. The latter, preserved in the Cappella Giulia of St. Peter’s Basilica, is one of the finest examples of fusion between counterpoint and lyricism in the Baroque sacred repertoire.

The concert will also be accompanied by the release of a CD entitled “Domenico Scarlatti y José de Nebra: Stabat Mater”, produced by La Grande Chapelle in collaboration with the project’s sponsoring institutions.

The choice of Mafra as the concert’s venue holds deep symbolic meaning: Maria Bárbara de Braganza, daughter of the Portuguese king João V and Scarlatti’s most devoted pupil, embodied the cultural bridge between Iberia and Italy. In this historic location, music once again becomes a living testimony of shared memory and beauty.

The concert is part of the Via Scarlatti project, promoted by CEEH and CEM – Centre Européen de Musique – with the media partnership of VCR Venice Classic Radio, always committed to supporting initiatives that combine research, artistic excellence and the promotion of Europe’s musical heritage. The concert will also be featured in a future broadcast on VCR Classica+.