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Friday, 24/01/2025 | 7:30 PM
Fraumünster, Zürich
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) Vespro della Beata Vergine
ensemble cantissimo
Markus Utz, Conductor
Bernhard Prammer, Organ
Rui Staehelin, Theorbe
Matthias Müller, Lirone and Violin
The Vespro della Beata Vergine of 1610 is considered one of the greatest sacred works of all time. Claudio Monteverdi showcases all facets of his mastery, brilliantly combining the solemn counterpoint predominant at the time with deeply moving, emotionally charged musical expression. Majestic choirs and virtuosic soloists come together in a diverse and captivating manner to glorify the Virgin Mary. The ensemble cantissimo, under the direction of Markus Utz, presents the rarely heard continuo version, which places the choir and the spatial effects of the music at the center of attention.
Monteverdi’s Vespers of the Blessed Virgin
The Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers of the Blessed Virgin) from 1610 is one of the most magnificent sacred works of all time. In this masterpiece, Claudio Monteverdi showcases every facet of his artistry, ingeniously blending the solemn counterpoint of the time with deeply moving, emotionally expressive music. In a captivating variety of forms, splendid choirs and virtuosic soloists unite in glorification of the Virgin Mary.
The Fraumünster in Zurich provides an ideal setting for this seminal work of the Italian early Baroque. Under the direction of Markus Utz, the ensemble cantissimo presents the rarely performed continuo version, which places the choir and the spatial effects of the music at the forefront.
Program
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
Vespro della Beata Vergine da concerto composta sopra canti firmi
(Vespers of the Blessed Virgin for Concert Performance Composed on Cantus Firmi)
Approx. 70 minutes
- Intonation: Deus in adiutorium
- Responsory: Domine ad adiuvandum
- Psalm 109: Dixit Dominus
- Concerto: Nigra sum
- Psalm 112: Laudate pueri
- Concerto: Pulchra es
- Psalm 121: Laetatus sum
- Concerto: Duo Seraphim
- Psalm 126: Nisi Dominus
- Concerto: Audi coelum
- Psalm 147: Lauda Jerusalem
- Frescobaldi Recercar sopra “Santa Maria”
- Hymn: Ave maris stella
- Magnificat a 6
Performers
- Organ: Bernhard Prammer
- Theorbo: Rui Staehelin
- Lirone and Violone: Matthias Müller
Soloists
- Sopranos: Heike Heilmann, Maria Bernius
- Alto: Philipp Cieslewicz
- Tenors: Philipp Claßen, Andreas Weller, Hannes Wagner
- Basses: Hans Porten, Guilherme Roberto
ensemble cantissimo
Conductor: Markus Utz
Introduction
The Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers of the Blessed Virgin) is regarded as the summation and legacy of Monteverdi’s sacred music. It stands at a threshold: incorporating forms of secular music and bridging a great tradition of vocal music with the emergence of a new style and era.
In September 1607, after eight years of marriage, his wife passed away, leaving him a grieving widower with two young sons. Around the same time, issues at the Gonzaga court, where he was employed as a chapel master, seemed to escalate: he worked extensively for modest pay and likely found it increasingly difficult to fulfill his ambitions. After over twenty years in Mantua, he reached a deadlock.
During the time of the Vespers’ publication, he appeared to seek professional liberation. He dedicated the collection to Pope Paul V, possibly aiming for a position in Rome or Venice. Initially, however, this came to nothing. By 1612, the death of his employer, Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga, left him unemployed, necessitating a fresh start. The following year, Giulio Cesare Martinengo, the chapel master of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, passed away. Monteverdi applied for the position, was accepted, and held it until his death in 1643.
To this day, it remains unclear whether the work has a coherent overarching structure or is instead more of a loose collection of concertos and psalms. Monteverdi oscillates between musical styles and ensemble sizes: at times offering expressive and virtuosic solo concertos, and at other times creating true “cathedrals of sound” through the use of a double choir, reminiscent of earlier Renaissance traditions.
At the heart of the work lies the veneration of the Virgin Mary. Prayers such as Ave maris stella or Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis are set to breathtakingly beautiful music, culminating in a virtuosic and intimate setting of the Magnificat, Mary’s hymn of praise from the New Testament.
Even the opening of the sacred Vespro della Beata Vergine is remarkable, as Monteverdi references his secular work, the opera Orfeo. He seamlessly integrates the musical innovations stemming from the invention of opera into his sacred compositions.
The Vespers consist of five psalm settings, three concertos, a motet, a hymn, a responsory, a sonata, and a Magnificat.