The festival will also include works by Bach and Verdi, as well as Lombardy composers of the 17th century. The Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra thus continues to pursue its traditional programming policy of presenting historic works alongside contemporary religious music in the setting of Rome’s four papal Basilicas.

The festival begins at St. Peter’s Basilica on 10 October with the Italian premiere of Tu es Petrus by the German composer Wolfgang Seifen, which will be sung during the celebration of Mass. The work will be performed by German musicians belonging to various instrumental and vocal groups from Humboldt University. On 11 October, at the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls, the Vienna Philharmonic and Choir of the Academia de Santa Cecilia, with an outstanding line-up of soloists including Fiorenza Cedolins, Dolora Zaijck, Fabio Sartori and Ferruccio Furlanetto under the direction of Daniele Gatti perform Verdi’s Requiem.

On 12 October the Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore provides the setting for a programme entitled “Nova Metamorfos”, on the theme of religious music in Milan during the early 17th century. The concert will be given by the French ensemble Le Poème Harmonique under the direction of Vincent Dumestre. This year’s Festival will draw to a close on 13 October in the Basilica of St. John Lateran with a performance by Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Chorus of Bach’s B-minor Mass, BWV 232, with soloists Marieke Steenhoek, Lestyn Davies, Jörg Dürmüller and Klaus Mertens.

One of the aims of the festival is to raise funds to assist in the upkeep and restoration of the art treasures of the Roman Catholic Church.