Claudio Monteverdi: |Vespers for the Blessed Virgin Mary

400 years after its first publication in 1610, Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers for the Blessed Virgin, a piece that is emblematic of the stylistic change from the Renaissance to the Baroque period like almost no other work, has lost none of its appeal. On the occasion of the 1000 year anniversary of the monastery of St Michael at Hildesheim the Knabenchor Hannover (Hanover Boys Choir) performs this demanding masterpiece in a rhythmically transparent painting of colourful sounds. Joined by the Himlische Cantorey, Vox Werdensis, the Concerto Palatino, and the Ensemble Musica Alta Ripa, the Knabenchor Hannover (Hanover Boys Choir) and its director have produced a recording unique in its astounding degree of perfection: the five Psalms of the Vespers are framed by antiphons chosen especially for this performance. The idiomatic sound of a boys’ choir and boy soloists, also available to Monteverdi in Venice, makes the present liverecording even more unique and establishes its unmistakable character and authenticity.