With the Vespro della Beata Vergine, Monteverdi created one of the first monuments of European sacred music. Both meditative and theatrical, his score is conceived as a collection of prayers that confidently draws on the expression of joy, and even the greatest sensuality. The Baroque spirit of the music is already fully present in these highly virtuosic vocal pages, which alternate with moments of great depth entrusted to the instruments. Keen to recreate the spatial arrangement of the musical sources as it was practiced at St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Leonardo García-Alarcón will reveal the full beauty of this music as he conducts Cappella Mediterranea and the Chœur de chambre de Namur.
“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 early days of Christianity. Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine reproduces the main prayers of the Vespers for the Blessed Virgin according to the 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
Vespers for the Blessed Virgin
Performance running time: approx. 1 hour 30 minutes with intermission
Miriam Allan, soprano
Mariana Flores, soprano
Leandro Marziotte, countertenor
Nicholas Scott, tenor
Mathias Vidal, tenor
Andreas Wolf, bass
Salvo Vitale, bass
Chœur de Chambre de Namur
Cappella Mediterranea
Leonardo García-Alarcón, organ and musical direction
The Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay concert is generously supported by the Éric Lescure family.
