Monteverdi, Vespro della Beata Vergine

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.

“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

A new type of religious music

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. Eager to rediscover how musical sources were staged at Venice’s Basilica di San Marco, Leonardo García Alarcón, by now a familiar figure at Radio France, reveals the beauty of this music at the helm of his ensembles, Cappella Mediterranea and the Chœur de Chambre de Namur.

Prochaines dates

Programme

Claudio Monteverdi
Vespro della Beata Vergine

Performance running time: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes with intermission

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Artists

Mariana Flores, soprano
Gwendoline Blondeel, soprano (16 April 2023 – Chantilly & 21 May 2023 – Dortmund)
Julie Roset, soprano (le 24 July 2023 – Lanaudière)
Leandro Marziotte, countertenor (16 April 2023 – Chantilly & 24 July 2023 – Lanaudière)
David Sagastume, countertenor (21 May 2023 – Dortmund)
Valerio Contaldo, tenor
Mathias Vidal, tenor
Alejandro Meerapeel, bass
Salvo Vitale, bass (21 May 2023 – Dortmund & 24 July 2023 – Lanaudière)
Rafael Galaz Ramirez, bass (16 April 2023 – Chantilly)

Chœur de chambre de Namur
Cappella Mediterranea
Leonardo García Alarcón, organ and direction

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With the generous support of Aline Foriel-Destezet