Céline Scheen, Mariana Flores (sopranos), Fabián Schofrin (counter tenor), Fernando Guimarães, Zachary Wilder (tenors), Matteo Bellotto, Victor Torres (baritones) & Sergio Foresti (bass)
Choeur de Chambre de Namur & Cappella Mediterranea, Leonardo García Alarcón
Published three years after 'L'Orfeo', written over a decade, the 'Vespro della beata Vergine' 1610 is testament to Monteverdi's genius which inspired the whole of Europe.
Placed at the head of his Cappella Mediterranea and Namur Chamber Choir, Leonardo Garcia Alarçon breathes with a rare vitality, fervour and finesse. Whilst belonging to the Liturgy, this Vespers highlights the dazzling and daring.
This 2CD set was recorded at Ambronay to celebrate the opening of the Festival 2013. Full texts and essays are included in the booklet.
Early Music ReviewJune 2014
gripping and highly atmospheric
August 2014
This is a Vespers that excited by the way it combines the immediacy and clarity of a smaller-scale performance with the sheer sonic thrill of a larger one, all in a pervading atmosphere of heartfelt but unhistrionic expressive urgency.