A very special recording and interpretation of the famous Vespers of the Virgin Mary; "Vespro della Beata Vergine": Roberto Zarpellon leads the vocal ensemble "Venice Monteverdi Academy"; his ensemble "Lorenzo da Ponte" and the chorale schola "Reale Corte Armonica Caterina Cornaro" - all of them genuine Italians - in a recording that took place in the church where Monteverdi worked for three decades as Kapellmeister; namely the famous Basilica of San Marco in Venice. As far as music is concerned; this church with its magnificent mosaics and domes as well as its very transparent room acoustics was a place of pilgrimage for musicians and composers from near and far during the Renaissance and Baroque periods; with such illustrious names as Adrian Willaert; the organists Giovanni and Andrea Gabrieli and Monteverdi as maestro di capella.

The work was produced with the Virtual Stage system, the innovative method that features new blended methods, between real and virtual, between philology and technology, applied to the operatic setting for both audio and scene through multitrack recording. The voice cast consists of young talents headed by virtuoso tenor Leonardo De Lisi as Ulysses. The ensemble instrumental sees musicians prominent of the group Dutch Heliosphere, together with the flautist Marco Di Manno co-founder of the Ensemble, Dimitri Betti assistant to the continuo players musician and harpsichordist and Giacomo Benedetti on the organ, with the participation of the Juvenes Cantores choir of the Cathedral of Sarzana by Alessandra Montali. The musical direction of Federico Bardazzi combines the philological approach, which has always distinguished the interpretations of the Ensemble San Felice, with the development of innovative technological solutions capable of enhancing the sublime expressiveness of Monteverdi's masterpiece.

Jordi Savall is painting Monteverdi in the colours of the Mediterranean. The Catalan maestro has entrusted the title role of this foundational work of Western music to a remarkable baritone: the magnificent Marc Mauillon embodies Orfeo, his resonant and ductile voice in perfect unison with the conductor’s musical vision. Here, a warm performance and rich sound reign supreme!

2017 marked the 450th anniversary of the birth of Claudio Monteverdi – one of the founders of opera and hailed in his day as ‘the creator of modern music’. Monteverdi transformed vocal music beyond Renaissance polyphony into an entirely new genre that expressed powerful feelings and emotions within a gripping narrative. This set brings together Monteverdi’s three surviving operas: the splendorous L’Orfeo and, from later in his life, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and L’incoronazione di Poppea with their visceral passions and dramatic dilemmas, all elements that have animated the history of opera for centuries. John Eliot Gardiner’s acclaimed Monteverdi 450 series of semi-staged performances produced in Venice’s historical Teatro La Fenice is a living confirmation that Monteverdi ‘will be sighed for in later ages, for his compositions will surely outlive the ravages of time.’

With this recording of Book VII of Claudio Monteverdi’s madrigals (1619, Venice), Rinaldo Alessandrini and his Concerto Italiano devote themselves to a love theme with a very pastoral edge the composer particularly savored. The Italian harpsichordist and conductor once again offers us a collection of Monteverdi madrigals of the highest quality, in which the poems not only lead the singing, but also determine the arrangement of the madrigals by poet. Inspired by “the hitherto unpublished stamp of a literary intention” indicated by the composer at the start of the collection, Rinaldo Alessandrini and his ensemble, accustomed to enlightening dramatics, offer a sparkling polyphony varying from one to six voices, in a wide range of pitches.

REVIEWS:

Claudio Monteverdi’s Seventh Book of Madrigals have been recorded well by several early music groups, but one expects superior readings from harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini and his vocal-instrumental ensemble Concerto Italiano, and indeed, one gets them here. He presents the madrigals not in the order in which they were published, instead grouping the texted pieces by poet. This points to the stylistic features an audience of Monteverdi’s time would have been interested in, and Alessandrini supports these features with readings that differentiate the pieces sharply from one another. This is an ideal recording of music by the later Monteverdi.

-- AllMusic.com (James Manheim)

This is Book 7, but not as you know it. A must-read booklet essay by Alessandrini himself frames the new recording as a philosophical and dramatic undertaking rather than an exercise in completism. This is opera without the stage – a riveting and incredibly stylish account of this vast and varied book of music.

-- Gramophone

Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo was premiered in 1607 and is the oldest opera still performed today. The narrative is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus who, armed only with the weapons of music and love, descends into Hades in an attempt to bring his lost bride Eurydice back to the living world. The opera’s dramatic power is brought to life in this acclaimed production conducted by the great Monteverdi expert and interpreter Jordi Savall. Filmed at the Opéra Comique in Paris, L’Orfeo features a virtuoso cast with the service of text and music always at its core.

THE FULL MONTEVERDI • Robert Hollingworth, cond; I Fagiolini • NAXOS 2.110224 (DVD: 60:00 Text and Translation)


MONTEVERDI Madrigals, Book 4


Monteverdi’s Fourth Book of Madrigals, published in 1603, is a setting of 19 poems by Arlotti, Gotti, Guarini, Moro, Rinuccini, Tasso, and Anonymous. Their only unity is the theme of separation, or the parting of lovers. While that is not much of a plot, an additional difficulty in creating a scenario out of these texts is the madrigal form, five voices singing polyphony. Moreover, due to the varying tessitura from one to the next, a set of madrigals usually uses a group of six voices. John La Bouchardière, an opera director who knew this Fourth Book since childhood (doubtless from the Raymond Leppard cassette), realized that six couples sitting in a restaurant might be sharing, separately but simultaneously, the experience of parting. He matched the six singers of I Fagiolini to six actors and created a theatrical presentation that was given almost 90 times from 2004 to 2006. The set for the performance venue was a restaurant, the six couples sitting at tables among the audience. A minimal performance provided only six tables, one couple at each. When it came time to film the performance, the soundtrack was first recorded, then the drama was videotaped. For video, the scene of the performance was not restricted to the restaurant. Flashbacks to scenes in the homes of the six couples and other locations were inserted. The singing partners among the six couples, assisted by the paired actors carrying out the thankless task of responding to the drama silently, actually sang along to the playback for verisimilitude. What began in the restaurant with six couples dissolving their relationships concluded strikingly back at the same location with six lonely individuals sitting at separate scattered tables.


Never mind the title, which is no more than a clever play on a recent stage musical, though it does suggest stripping bare the emotions as madrigals do. This is a remarkable way of realizing a book of madrigals that was never conceived to be heard this way. It’s highly successful, whether you watch with the English subtitles on or off. Not a word is spoken, for apart from ambient sound there is nothing to be heard but the singing, interrupted only by the briefest of pauses. The emotional expression on all the faces is convincing, an aspect that could easily have spoiled the effect. Repeated viewing will certainly reveal overlooked details, as the viewer becomes familiar with the dozen personalities that pop up in succession with some rapidity. Remember, six amorous breakups are unfolding simultaneously, the emotions and meanings of the madrigals applying equally to all of them. The production was made jointly for five national television systems and Naxos, and it has been broadcast since last autumn. This is a remarkably original conception, carried out with astonishing success. I have never realized the meaning of a set of madrigals as clearly as I did here.


FANFARE: J. F. Weber
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Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: Dolby Digital Stereo / Surround / DTS Surround
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English
Running time: 60 mins

Claudio Monteverdi was a musical revolutionary who championed the new style of music that replaced intricate Renaissance counterpoint with the more theatrical music of the early Baroque. Yet he was a master in both these styles, as this selection.

Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 was dedicated to Pope Paul V, and remains one of the great sacred masterpieces of the Baroque era. Monteverdi’s score features a stylistic variety uncommon to that time, grand choral and instrumental, solo motets, two settings of the Magnificat, duets and trios, and more than anything a sense of theater, which hearkens to the composition of Monteverdi’s operas which were being written around the same time. This new recording features authentic instrumentation, and is wonderfully interpreted by the Ensemble San Felice.

Honored among the 30 "Unmissable Albums of the Past 30 Years" by BBC Music!

The Cleveland-based baroque orchestra Apollo's Fire, together with founder / conductor Jeannette Sorrell, launched on Avie in July 2010 with a double release featuring discs of Mozart and J.S. Bach. They follow with their tribute to the 400th anniversary year of Monteverdi's seminal Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, released in anticipation of the group's first European tour which takes them to Spain and Holland, and culminates with their Wigmore Hall debut on 30 November. Vespers has been a signature piece for Apollo's Fire for over ten years, and it's fitting for Sorrell and her vibrant band to bring this magnificent masterwork to wider audiences through this recording. critical acclaim for Apollo's Fire "Resplendent . . . with vibrant attention to dramatic detail. Unlike many accounts of the "Vespers," Sorrell's interpretation conveyed the intense drama that pervades this many-splendored puzzle. She must be one of the best conductors around in this repertoire. In her hands, the glory of Monteverdi's accomplishment couldn't have been more radiant or moving. An Apollo's Fire triumph . . . a thriller from first note to last." - The Cleveland Plain Dealer "A stunning achievement" - Fanfare "Sorrell and her fine young choir lavish attention on every phrase and inflexion. The exhilaration and sense of discovery is utterly infectious" - International Record Review

REVIEW

This recording is stunningly different from the norm. [Jeannette Sorrell] constructs a simulacrum of [17th-century Italians'] religious fervour in the explosive presentation of Dixit Dominus, and their sincere reverence in Ave Maris Stella. The real understanding of style is everywhere. No cautious "note counting" in the complex Duo Seraphim, instead the fluttering lines become the beating wings of angels, and in the startling echo duet of the Gloria Patri (from the Magnificat) we feel the ricochet from the very stones of Monteverdi's church.

--BBC Music Magazine (Anthony Pryer)

Includes work(s) by Claudio Monteverdi. Ensembles: Rodolfus Choir, English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble. Conductor: Ralph Allwood.

Harry Christophers writes: 'Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 is quite simply one of the greatest works of sacred music ever written and without doubt the most varied and inspired before Handel and Bach began composing their oratorios and passions. Where it was written, why it was written and who it was written for are actually immaterial - suffice it to say it was quite simply his calling card for the big job, Choirmaster at the resplendent Basilica of St Mark in Venice. Its variety alone makes it unique - thrilling psalm settings with virtuosic writing for both multi-part choir and instrumentalists to exotic and sensual settings of texts from the Song of Songs for solo voices. Every movement is full of luscious harmonies, drama and an evocative musical language which is so beautifully constructed for all concerned. 'There has been much scholarly debate about the pitch of Lauda Jerusalem and the Magnificat. These are notated in the part books in a combination of "high" (chiavetti) clefs which dictates a downward transposition of a fourth. For this recording I decided to include both versions, one at high pitch and one at low, so that you the listener can determine your own preference.'

John Butt and the Dunedin Consort present the 1610 Vespers in its customary order with no chant additions, accepting the view that this ‘work’ is a collection of sacred pieces deliberately ordered in the general shape of an ‘imaginary’ Vespers service. In other words, the Vespers as most people know it.

The result is a ‘chamber’ version in which clarity of detail and the beauty of individual voices (recorded fairly closely and in many places clearly recognisable) provide an alternative to the grand gestures and bold colours of other more monumental performances. It also allows for plenty of attention to text, not just in the solo motets but in the larger psalm-settings as well.

The sound is first-rate as ever from Linn, with a sampled Italian chest organ discreetly adding warmth and incisiveness. With so many Vespers recordings out there, this one joins the ranks of those with both a character of its own and something to say.

– Gramophone

Without doubt, Monteverdi was the greatest of the early baroque European composers. He revolutionised the music of the theatre and the church by his dramatic and imaginative use of voices and instruments and by 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. Monteverdi stretches every singer's versatility to the limit in this demanding but exhilarating music. Included on this final volume are the eight part Magnificat (Primo) - one of the most impressive of all Monteverdi's settings with the added richness of doubling strings; the old style Credidi and Memento featuring the full choir; and the exquisitely beautiful soprano solo, Pianto della Madonna 'Iam moriar, mi fili', performed here by Grace Davidson.

Without doubt, Monteverdi was the greatest of the early baroque European composers. He revolutionised the music of the theatre and the church by his dramatic and imaginative use of voices and instruments and by 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 second volume of The Sixteen's celebrated series includes the Messa à 4 da cappella. "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