Classical: Celebrating the Divine Orlando

Orlando di Lasso may be a name that resonates of modern Hollywood, but this star shone at his brightest during the renaissance era when he became one of the truly outstanding church composers of the 16th century.

16th-century Italian composer Orlando di Lasso
16th-century Italian composer Orlando di Lasso

However, he was somewhat unlucky with his appointment, aged just 21, as maestro di capella in the church of St John Lateran in Rome. His immediate predecessor was the prodigious Giovanni da Palestrina, whose composition in the service of the Catholic Church remains undiminished to this day.

The great career and achievements of this brilliant man is being celebrated with The Divine Orlando, four different aspects of his life, ...