Harmonic Breath: The Music of Palestrina

Harmonic Breath is a project by the Mysterium Duo — Sir N. Antonio Peruch and Penny Sanborn — that reimagines the sacred polyphony of Renaissance master Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina for two free-bass accordions. The duo uses the instruments' extended range to preserve the structural integrity and modal clarity of Palestrina's original manuscripts, while drawing on the accordion's capacity for sustained breath and resonance. These nine adaptations are left unmarked, in keeping with historical performance practices, and are accompanied by an extensive preface written in both English and Italian.