Since its creation in 1962 The Cuenca Religious Music Week has always maintained its own distinct personality as a result of its highly specialised music, its geographical location and the wonderfully rich heritage that surrounds it. The Religious Music Week is the fourth oldest music festival in Spain and has been a member of the European Association of Festivals (EFA) since 1986.

Since the year 2001 the Religious Music Week has been run by a cultural Foundation whose sponsors are made up of the Association of communities of Castilla-La Mancha, the Council, the Archbishopric, the INAEM of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, the Caja de Castilla-La Mancha which participates through its Social and Cultural wing, and the Caja Madrid Foundation which is responsible for the musical programming.

The XLIII edition of the Religious Music Week, which will take place between 2 nd -11 th April 2004, will comprise of 22 concerts in 7 different venues in the city of Cuenca; it will keep up its habit of commissioning new works from contemporary composers; on this occasion from two Spaniards : José María Sánchez Verdú, TENEBRAE (Memoria del fuego) and David del Puerto, Advenit , and one American: Terry Riley, Archangels.

The recovery of music by spanish composers from the religious sphere for special occasions is another of the traditions of the Religious Music Week. For example the Funeral Rites for Queen Elizabeth I ‘The Catholic Queen' (Segovia 1504) under the auspices of the Grupo Alfonso X “El Sabio” and their director Luis Lozano Virumbrales; the recovery of one of the most interesting reponsories of the renaissance, that of Felice Anerio (Rome 1606) by Viana Consort and Ángel Recasens, and the interpretation of a monument of Spanish religious music such as is the Oficio de Semana Santa (Rome 1585) by Tomás Luis de Victoria under the auspices of La Columbina y Schola Antiqua and their respective conductors Josep Cabré and Juan Carlos Asensio. And furthermore, Alia Mvsica and Miguel Sánchez will be taking part with “Simulata Sanctitas” as will Al Ayre Español and Eduardo López Banzo with “A batallar estrellas”.

Also present will be the clavichordist Gustav Leonhardt, Hespèrion XXI and the Royal Choir of Catalonia with Jordi Savall, The English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir with John Eliot Gardiner, the Czech National Orchestra and the Prague Chamber Choir with Ondrej Lenard, the Iberian Cello Octet with Elías Arizcuren, Le Talens Lyriques with Christophe Rousset, the Spanish National Youth Orchestra with Antoni Ros Marbà, the Orchestra and Choir of the Age of Enlightenment with Emmanuelle Haïm and the Galicia Symphony Orchestra and the Madrid Community Choir with Víctor Pablo Pérez.