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Monteverdi Vespers

Live at the Barbican Hall, London, The Sixteen Choir & Orchestra, conducted by Harry Christophers, perform Monteverdi's splendid and dazzlingly inventive Vespers.

Live at the Barbican Hall, London, The Sixteen Choir & Orchestra, conducted by their founder Harry Christophers, present a cornerstone of the Western musical tradition.

Claudio Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 shows one of the greatest composers of all time at the height of his powers and working on an unprecedented scale. The music is dazzlingly inventive and expressive, by turns intimate and sensuous, splendid and elaborate.

Yet no one knows why Claudio Monteverdi published his great masterpiece in praise of the Virgin Mary. It's not even certain if this ravishing collection of psalms, motets, a sonata, hymn and seven-part setting of the Magnificat was intended for performance as a continuous liturgical sequence. Is it, as some have suggested, one of history's most elaborate job applications? Monteverdi, miserable at the Mantuan court, possibly had an eye on impressing the authorities in Venice, a city where the Marian cult was especially strong. If that was behind the Vespers it eventually worked because three years later Monteverdi was at last appointed maestro di cappella at St Mark's, the top musical job in Venice.

Presented by Ian Skelly.

The Sixteen Choir & Orchestra
Harry Christophers (conductor)

2 hours, 14 minutes

Last on

Wed 15 May 2024 19:30
大象传媒 Radio 3

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Recipes

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Music Played

  • Claudio Monteverdi

    Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 (Part 1)

    Choir: The Sixteen. Orchestra: Orchestra of The Sixteen. Conductor: Harry Christophers.

  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Bassoon Concerto in C major, RV 473

    Performer: Peter Whelan. Ensemble: La Serenissima. Director: Adrian Chandler.
    • Vivaldi: The French Connection 2.
    • Avie.
    • 11.

  • Claudio Monteverdi

    Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 (Part 2)

    Choir: The Sixteen. Orchestra: Orchestra of The Sixteen. Conductor: Harry Christophers. Conductor: Harry Christophers.

  • Franz Schubert

    String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956: IV. Allegretto

    Performer: Michael Sanderling. Ensemble: Petersen Quartet.
    • Schubert, F.: String Quintet, D. 956.
    • Capriccio.
    • 4.

  • Erwin Schulhoff

    String Sextet, Op. 45: II. Tranquillo. Andante

    Performer: Rainer Johannes Kimstedt. Performer: Michael Sanderling. Ensemble: Petersen Quartet.
    • Schulhoff: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5 & Piano Concerto.
    • CapriccioNR.
    • 43.

  • Erwin Schulhoff

    String Sextet, Op. 45: III. Burlesca

    Performer: Rainer Johannes Kimstedt. Performer: Michael Sanderling. Ensemble: Petersen Quartet.
    • Schulhoff, E.: String Quartet / Violin Sonata / Duo for Violin and Cello / Strin.
    • Capriccio.
    • 15.

Broadcast

  • Wed 15 May 2024 19:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3