The famous motet Nuper Rosarum Flores was composed by Guillaume Dufay for the 25 March 1436 consecration of the Florence Cathedral and was performed in the presence of the most influential religious and political figures as well as greatest artists of the era. The title of the piece stems from the name of the cathedral itself: Santa Maria del Fiore, or St. Mary of the Flower. The opening lines of Dufay's text refers to Pope Eugene IV's gift to the cathedral, and to the city of Florence, of a golden rose to decorate the high altar.

The motet is striking for its synthesis of the older isorhythmic style and the new contrapuntal style that Dufay himself would explore further in the coming decades. More than 500 years after its birth, musicologists have been debating about the proportional structure of the motet, even up to diverse hypothesises whether it has mimicked the proportions of Santa Maria del Fiore or maybe Solomon’s Temple.

The three-part presentation series of László Sándorinvestigates the work from aspects of history, architecture, ceremonial symbolism, consecration ritual up to its hypothetic mathematical or cryptic connections.