D'eterna viva luce ardente

The composer Marco Antonio de Pordenon crafts a rich SATB texture in this Italian secular madrigal. The music opens with a sense of urgent preparation, mirroring the text which speaks of love revealing itself in a moment of intense brightness and glory, likened to someone readying for a great enterprise. The singers will find themselves caught in the 'gentle flame' described in the lyrics, conveying a powerful, personal response to overwhelming beauty and divine inspiration. Pordenon skilfully blends the voices to express the unfolding narrative, building to a passionate climax that reflects the Petrarchan themes of love and awe inherent in the poetry.