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Friday, March 19 at 7:30 pm
This feast consisted principally of Music . . . so good, so delectable, so rare, so admirable, so superexcellent, that it did ravish and stupefy all those strangers that never heard the like. . . . I was for the time even rapt up with Saint Paul into the third heaven.
So commented the English writer Thomas Coryat in 1611, after hearing a Vesper service at the Church of San Rocco, Venice in 1608. We do not know exactly what music he heard, but his description could well be applied to the sumptuous Vespro della beata Vergine (Vespers of 1610) of Monteverdi, with their opulent sonorities, dramatic and emotional effects, innovative harmonies, and beautiful melodic lines. One of the great landmarks of western music, the Vespers of 1610 reveal Monteverdi as a consummate master of both the old and the new, mixing styles and influences to create a masterpiece of the sacred repertoire.
In this masterpiece, Monteverdi blends the newer baroque practice with the musical styles of the Renaissance to set the Psalms, Litany and Magnificat of the Vespers service. The result is music that is both dramatic and sublime and which is further enhanced by the exceptional acoustics of Saint Thomas Church. His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, England’s leading early wind ensemble, and Concert Royal Strings accompany the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys in a performance of Monteverdi’s powerful Vespers, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the work’s publication.
