C. Monteverdi - Vespro Della Beata Vergine - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 is quite simply one of the greatest works of sacred music ever written, without doubt the most varied and inspired before Handel and Bach began composing their oratorios and passions. It's variety alone makes it unique, from thrilling psalm settings with virtuosic writing for both multi-part choir and instrumentalists, to exotic and sensual settings of texts from the Song of Songs for solo voices. Every movement is full of luscious harmonies, drama, and evocative musical language. Album Tracks 1. Deus in Adiutorium Meum Intende 2. Dixit Dominus 3. Nigra Sum 4. Laudate Pueri 5. Pulchra Es 6. Laetatus Sum 7. Duo Seraphim 8. Nisi Dominus 9. Audi Coelum 10. Lauda Ierusalem 11. Sonata Sopra Sancta Maria 12. Ave Maris Stella 1. Magnificat 2. Et Exaltavit 3. Quia Respexit 4. Quia Fecit Mihi Magna 5. Et Misericordia 6. Fecit Potentiam 7. Deposuit Potentes 8. Esurientes 9. Sucepit Israel 10. Sicut Locutus Est 11. Gloria Patri 12. Sicut Erat 13. Lauda Ierusalem 14. Magnificat 15. Et Exaltavit 16. Quia Respexit 17. Quia Fecit Mihi Magna 18. Et Misericordia 19. Fecit Potentiam 20. Deposuit Potentes 21. Esurientes 22. Sucepit Israel 23. Sicut Locutus Est 24. Gloria Patri 25. Sicut Erat

Monteverdi / La Compagnia Del Madrigale - Claudio Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine [COMPACT DISCS] date 04/14/2017

The present recording constitutes more than just a new version of the Vespers. It is the first recording of the Vespers in the alternative version proposed by the composer, without concertato instruments. It reveals the underlying matrix of the work we all know, the 'original version' to which Monteverdi added concertato instruments for use in large-scale performances. Respecting the structure of the Office of Vespers, Ludus Modalis has chosen to frame the psalms with the antiphons corresponding to a Marian ceremony. The interpretation proposed here is one influenced by the Renaissance tradition. It places the work in perspective in a musical world at the point of equilibrium between prima and seconda prattica, between the achievements of tradition and the contributions of modernity. Ludus Modalis is a professional ensemble of five to twelve singers formed around the tenor Bruno Boterf. The group focuses principally on polyphonic Renaissance and early Baroque repertoire, with incursions into contemporary music. Apart from the absence of a conductor in the standard sense, the ensemble's specificity and it's 'sound blend' are the fruits of thoroughgoing attention to the parameters of a cappella polyphony the development of an intonation aimed towards achieving a clarity of harmonic intervals; the attention paid to the text on the basis of the declamation and historical pronunciation; and the richness of the sonority achieved through the use of a variety of vocal timbres and colors, as well as a subtle mix of female, male, and even children's voices.