MONTEVERDI: SELVA MORALE E SPI

Monteverdi: Messa a quatro voci, Messa in illo tempore

MONTEVERDI: VESPRO DELLA BEATA

Pergolesi, Monteverdi, Frescobaldi: Stabat Mater - Sacred Ba

Classical Music

Classical Music

Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent present a highly accomplished version of one of the masterpieces of seventeenth-century sacred music. Composed shortly after L’Orfeo and dedicated to Pope Paul V, Monteverdi’s Vespers constantly surprise us with their audacity and their great emotional power. Stile antico and stile moderno combine here to wonderful effect, with Renaissance-style polyphony, accompanied monody and concertato style coexisting harmoniously. The importance accorded to the text (a key feature in Monteverdi), the virtuosity of the vocal writing and the independence of the part-writing are among the characteristics of this astonishing work. Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Gent prove themselves to be Monteverdi interpreters of the first rank. Their lively, refreshing reading, enhanced by the presence of eight internationally renowned soloists, will ensure the success of this release.

Classical Music

At his arrival in Venice in 1613, Monteverdi, ever the tireless worker, finally found a challenge that suited him: he would compose every day, both sacred and secular music, for the glory of God or his patrons. In the twilight of his life, he gathered his works into a corpus, intended to inspire musicians during the celebration of religious services. This recording is a musical testament to his carefully preserved life's work. Vincent Dumestre and Le Poeme Harmonique pay tribute to the brilliant composer who set the tone for all 17th-century sacred music.

Classical Music

Without doubt, Monteverdi was the greatest of the early baroque composers. He revolutionized the music of the theatre and the church with his dramatic and imaginative use of voices and instruments and with his daring harmonies and rhythms. Next to his Vespers of 1610, the Selva morale e spirituale of 1641 is his most significant and virtuosic collection of sacred music. This collection is to celebrate Monteverdi's 450th anniversary and includes all three previous volumes of The Sixteen's celebrated recordings of the anthology. "These are some of the most spirited and individual performances of this repertory available." (BBC Music Magazine) "There are subtleties and shades in the overall ensemble's interactions, but there is no shortage of splendour unleashed in the magnificent passages of the virtuosic eight-part Dixit Dominus." (Gramophone) "The longest work on the disc, a superbly varied seven-part Gloria accompanied by two violins as well as continuo." (The Guardian) "There is a sense of deep familiarity with the music in this recording, a feeling of easiness with Monteverdi's harmonic and, especially, rhythmic vocabulary that lends a tripping lightness to the performances..." (International Record Review)

Recorded in May 1958 at the Schwetzinger Schloss Theater, this release features the first opera in history, written by Claudio Monteverdi, L'Orfeo.

MONTEVERDI: Combattimento di Tancredi et Clorinda (Il) / Mad

Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine

Love conquers all, ruthlessly and irresistibly, as Emperor Nero and his mistress Poppea remove the obstacles to their union. At Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu David Alden's visually sumptuous production, with it's suggestions of a giant game of chess, puts the opera's potent blend of sex and politics in a context that sets ancient against modern, just as the action juxtaposes scurrilous comedy and stark drama. Monteverdi's magnificent score, meanwhile, accommodates intrigue, wit, nobility, tragedy and sensuality, and, led by the intense Sarah Connolly and the delectable Miah Persson, the cast brings both drama and music startlingly to life.