The 18th century was one of the most important periods for Portuguese music, during which there was strong investment by the monarchy in that sector of the arts.
Foreign musicians were welcomed, repertoires imported, and interpreters and composers flourished. Indeed, it was a time when Portugal opened to European cultural and artistic models and, at the same time, endeavoured to gain visibility abroad. Before then, the country had safeguarded its affinity with the Iberian tradition; but already in the second decade of the 18th century radical changes took place, with the embracement of the main traits of the Italian Baroque. With the wealth accumulated from sea commerce and Brazilian gold, John V was able to renew the music structures of the court, a project that had as its main impulse the promotion of the Royal Chapel to the status of Patriarchal in 1716. At the same time, John V supported the formation of Portuguese musicians, creating in 1713 the Real Seminário de Música da Patriarcal and sending to Rome, on scholarship, some of the more talented students, such as the composers JoÆo Rodrigues Esteves (1700 ca. - 1751 ca.), António Teixeira (1707 - 1774) and Francisco António de Almeida (1702 ca. - 1755?). In addition to that, the Orquestra da Real Câmara was founded.
This orchestra could count on foreign musicians, for instance Pietro Giorgio Avondano, a Genoese violinist and composer who arrived in Lisbon when he was just nineteen and was the founder of a great dynasty of court musicians. His son Pedro António (1714 - 1782), born in Portugal, followed in his footsteps as violinist in the Real Câmara, became a famous composer and gave new impulse to the Lisbon music scene through the Assembleia das Nações Estrangeiras, a sort of club that met in his home, promoting dances and public concerts - a rarity in the capital of the day.
This new recording has the merit to seal and support the cooperation among Divino Sospiro, Enrico Onofri and Gemma Bertagnolli but above all, it has the aim to defend and promote the Portoguese repertoire of the eighteenth century.
An amazing series of compositions which were considered European musical heritage and that today are nearly unknown and missing from the discography and the concert venues.

Divino Sospiro is one of Europe’s leading ensembles for Baroque and pre-Romantic music performed on period instruments. Founded by the Italian viola player Massimo Mazzeo, it is the resident orchestra of Lisbon’s ”Centro Cultural de Belém”. Its music director is the violinist Enrico Onofri.
The ensemble’s activity, always characterised by rigorous philological research and stylistic propriety, revolves around the music of Portugal and of the European musicians (in particular Italian ones) who left a mark on Portuguese culture.
The ensemble has appeared in some of the world’s most famous festivals and on important radio and television channels, such as Radio France, France Musique, Mezzo, RTP, and Antenna 2.