Viena in Madrid

João Pedro de Almeida Mota is the author of the only known set of Portuguese string quartets from the Classical period, now preserved in manuscript in the Archive of the Royal Palace of Madrid. These quartets remain unjustly neglected, their intrinsic musical value extending far beyond their historical or musicological significance. João Pedro de Almeida Mota (1744–1817) was born in Lisbon in 1744, and it was in Braga that he spent the only extended period of work in Portugal, serving D. Gaspar de Bragança, Archbishop of Braga, as a chamber musician and singer at the cathedral. He later moved to Spain, where he remained until the end of his life, entering the service of the Spanish Crown in 1793 and maintaining this position until his death in Madrid in 1817.

The concert presentation of these quartets is part of an ongoing project by the Ensemble Bonne Corde, developed in partnership with MPMP – Património Musical Vivo, aimed at recording and publishing the complete set of quartets by the Portuguese composer. The concert program is flexible and may include quartets in modern premiere.