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Monteverdi’s Vespers
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Vespers of 1610, Claudio Monteverdi, Patrick Wedd directing
with Ensemble Caprice
Saturday November 15, 2014, 19h30
Sunday November 16, 2014, 19h30
1201, de la Visitation
Montréal
H2L 3B5
Métro Beaudry
Soloists:
Stephanie Manias; Jana Miller; Loïc Paulin; Bernard Cayouette; Jacques-Olivier Chartier; Normand Richard; Clayton Kennedy
Monteverdi’s Vespers, first published in 1610, is truly one of the wonders of western choral literature, deservedly renowned for its beauty and audacity. At the heart of the work are five psalms and the Magnificat, set in splendid opulence for choir, soloists and orchestra, but based throughout on the traditional “psalm tones”, chants hallowed by centuries of use in the church. Interspersed with these massive choruses are six sacri concentus, solos, duos and trios in the latest operatic style, and of an intensity and even seductiveness that is completely captivating. Even the instrumental forces are unusual, combining renaissance brass with baroque strings and winds. In this way Monteverdi challenges the norms of his day by freely combining the traditional styles of the church with the latest virtuoso singing of court and stage. The combination must have been thrilling and shocking, and was surely one of the reasons that Italy was a magnet for music lovers the world over.
The complexity of the work, and its performance challenges, mean that we hear it rarely other than on recordings. Orbium has never performed it, and we are thrilled to be once again collaborating with Ensemble Caprice and with many fine local soloists in this exciting adventure. An evening not to be missed!
Regular $35 CAD
Senior / Student / Unemployed $25 CAD
Christ Church Cathedral Choir Notes, by way of preparation:
Click to read about the Monteverdi Vespers in Wikipedia.
Click for Latin text and English translation
Click for free online HD performance by Silvia Frigato, Emanuela Galli, sopranos; Raffaele Pè, alto; Krystian Adam, Nicholas Mulroy, Gareth Treseder, tenors, Alexander Ashworth, Robert Davies, bass; The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists; Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles; John Eliot Gardiner conducting. Location: Royal Chapel at Versailles (Versailles, France)
Click for Latin text and English translation
Click for free online HD performance by Silvia Frigato, Emanuela Galli, sopranos; Raffaele Pè, alto; Krystian Adam, Nicholas Mulroy, Gareth Treseder, tenors, Alexander Ashworth, Robert Davies, bass; The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists; Les Pages du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles; John Eliot Gardiner conducting. Location: Royal Chapel at Versailles (Versailles, France)