Cappella Musicale Enrico Stuart, Romeo Ciuffa, Chiara Strabioli, Rebeca Ferri & Marco Vitale
Biography Cappella Musicale Enrico Stuart, Romeo Ciuffa, Chiara Strabioli, Rebeca Ferri & Marco Vitale
Cappella Musicale Enrico Stuart
In 1998 Romeo Ciuffa and Giancarlo delle Chiaie founded CAPELLA MUSICALE ENRICO STUART (C.M.E.S), a group with a changeable cadre specialized in a Seventeenth and Eighteenth century repertoire in which wind instruments take centre stage. The ensemble takes its name from an important personality who lived during difficult times in British and European history, Enrico Carlo Edoardo Stuart, duke of York, son of Giacomo the Third Stuart, heir to the throne and brother of Carlo Edoardo, who tried various times, without success, to retake the throne. The Stuart family, of Catholic faith, chose Rome for their exile and formed a close relationship with the papal courts. Enrico, already decorated as Cardinal by Pope Benedict XIV, became Bishop of Frascati (our base) which he enriched with a continuous cultural project resulting in the founding or the ‘aboracense’ library. The library contains various musical scores including a Magnificat by N. Porpora, commissioned by Enrico Stuart himself, benefactor and patron of the arts of Frascati for more than thirty years. Although initially C.M.E.S. was formed by a choir and a varying instrumental ensemble, the group is now a mainly instrumental ensemble which occasionally presents, depending on the programme, a number of soloist voices. Amongst our most significant representations are Dido and Aeneas by H. Purcell, Il Festino del giovedì grasso avanti cena by A. Banchieri, Messa a 4 voci, Magnificat, Il ballo dele Ingrate, Tirsi e Clori by C. Monteverdi, Stabat Mater by Pergolesi, witty poems and masses by G. P. da Palestrina. C.M.E.S.’ repertoire includes compositions (masses, hymns, motets, oratorios) by M. A. Charpentier, M. R. Delalande and De Brossard and instrumental and vocal music by the likes of Rameau, Lully, Vivaldi and Bach.
