GESUALDO TENEBRAE: All was made dark

Luminescence continues their three-year odyssey into the dark heart of the Renaissance, with the harrowing epicentre of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae: the Responsoria for Feria Sexta. Four centuries on, this totemic work from an Italian master remains shockingly avant-garde. Tormented by his own murderous crimes, and likely unheard in his lifetime beyond the walls of his own castle, Gesualdo’s twisted harmony turns inward, the texture ever denser, and the pacing ebbing ever slower as he addresses the bloody core of the Passion story. Suspended between betrayal and resurrection, Gesualdo’s most desolate work pulls us into his unrelieved confrontation with suffering, death, and guilt.

 ‘These are motets built on betrayal, grief, and the flickering edge of faith. They demand singers of virtuosity and insight – and Luminescence delivered.’ - Classikon (March 2025)

Luminescence Chamber Singers
Rachel Mink
AJ America
Dan Walker
Lachlan McDonald
Lucien Fischer
Alasdair Stretch

Directed by Roland Peelman

Supported by Irpinia Escapes