With his Vespro della beata Vergine, Monteverdi produced one of the first masterpieces of European sacred music. His score is a sum of prayers, both meditative and theatrical, replete with expressions of joy and even the utmost sensuality. The baroque nature of the music is fully present in the highly virtuosic vocal part, which alternates with instrumental passages of incredible depth. Leonardo García-Alarcón, at the helm of Cappella Mediterranea and the Chœur de chambre de Namur, is keen to rediscover the spatialization of musical sources as practiced in the Basilica of San Marco in Venice.
“Cappella Mediterranea does not fail to stand out in what may appear to be a primarily vocal work, reminding us that “Sonata sopra Sancta Maria” is also a brilliant instrumental work. Under Leonardo García Alarcón’s sometimes whimsical but always precise baton, the ensemble proves to be remarkably flexible, providing the ideal setting for the vocals.“
Alexandre Jamar – Forumopéra
The origins of Vespers (from the Latin vesper: evening, the most solemn hour of the Divine Office) date back to the earliest days of Christianity. Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine reproduces the main prayers of Vespers for the Virgin under Roman rite (five psalms, the Ave maris stella hymn and the Magnificat). Marian devotion, which was defended in the 16th century by the Council of Trent in response to the Protestant Reformation, was particularly common in Mantua, where Monteverdi was Kapellmeister to Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga.
Claudio Monteverdi
Les Vêpres de la Vierge
Performance running time: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes with intermission
Miriam Allan (Vézelay 2024) / Francesca Boncompagni (La Chaise-Dieu 2024), soprano
Gwendoline Blondeel, soprano
Leandro Marziotte, contre-ténor
Valerio Contaldo, tenor
Pierre-Antoine Chaumien (Madrid 2024)
Andre Morsch, basse
Matteo Bellotto, (La Chaise-Dieu 2024) / Salvo Vitale (Vézelay 2024), basse
Chœur de chambre de Namur
Cappella Mediterranea
Leonardo García-Alarcón, orgue et direction
The Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay concert is generously supported by the Éric Lescure family.
