Details
St Gabriel's Church
Warwick Square
Pimlico
London
SW1V 2AD
England
Programme
Claudio Monteverdi – Vespers of 1610
Performers
Katy Hill – soprano
Charlotte Mobbs – soprano
Jeremy Budd – Tenor
Mark Dobell – Tenor
Graham Neal – Tenor
William Gaunt – Bass
Stuart Young – Bass
James Davey – Conductor
Chandos Chamber Choir
His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts
Programme Note
Vespers for the Blessed Virgin, to give it its full title, was originally conceived by Monteverdi as a collection of liturgical works to be used for the evening service of vespers, which were sung in celebration of the Virgin Mary.
Written in 1610, it is unlikely Monteverdi viewed it as a single continuous work. But following the first commercial recording of the Vespers in 1953, this renaissance gem has been recognised as one of the most ambitious choral works written before Bach and is one of the more challenging pieces to perform in the choral repertoire.
Rarely performed by choirs, perhaps due to the unusually large number of tenor parts in Nisi Dominus, this is a wonderful opportunity to hear the work performed by one of London’s most ambitious amateur choirs accompanied by the period instruments of the celebrated band His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts.