Monteverdi: Vespro Della Beata Vergine [CD]

The 1610 Vespers, composed at a pivotal moment in Claudio Monteverdi's life when he sought not only to establish his new musical language but also to obtain high-placed employment, take on new significance here. Based on a renewed philological approach and the most recent musicological research, this version recreates the Vespers in accordance with the Mantuan customs of the time, featuring an order of service and plainchant drawn from local sources. Recorded in the Palatine Basilica of Santa Barbara in Mantua and using only the instruments mentioned in the score, this interpretation favours a chamber aesthetic, as suggested by Monteverdi's remark ad Sacella sive Principum Cubicula accomodata-a work conceived for chapels and the princes' chambers-and reveals the Vespers in their original intimacy, far removed from monumental display. Now restored to it's architectural, spiritual, and sonic setting, the work displays a unique emotional power: the proximity of the voices and instruments establishes an almost intimate connection with the listener.