The Marian Consort explores music of extraordinary beauty and hidden meaning from Renaissance Portugal. Composers living under Spanish rule, longing for the return of the mythic Portuguese King Sebastian, expressed their sentiments in sorrowful texts which they set to achingly poignant music. Meanwhile works such as Lobo's 'Missa Veni Domine', based on a motet with themes of return and deliverance, are full of veiled political allusions. Also included are works by Vicente Lusitano, whose identity remains largely a mystery – his surname simply means ‘Portuguese’ – but the fact that he was probably the first published composer of African heritage has ignited interest in recent times in his astonishing music.

“A remarkable concoction, sung with exquisite precision and subtle, tender manipulation.” Church Times