Monteverdi - Vespers of 1610 (Vespro della Beata Vergine)

Claudio Monteverdi (Composer), Martin Pearlman (Conductor), Boston Baroque (Orchestra), Richard Croft (Performer), Janice Chandler (Performer), Lynton Atkinson (Performer), Christopheren Nomura (Performer), Jeff Mattsey (Performer), Brad Diamond (Performer), Karen Clift (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Richard Croft, Janice Chandler, Lynton Atkinson, Christopheren Nomura, Jeff Mattsey, et al.
• Orchestra: Boston Baroque
• Conductor: Martin Pearlman
• Composer: Claudio Monteverdi
• Audio CD (October 28, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B000003D2F
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,673 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #33 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Baroque Dance Suites

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. I. Deus In Adjutorium - Domine Ad Adjuvandum - Christopheren Nomura

2. Antiphon - Christopheren Nomura

3. II. Psalm 109: Dixit Dominus - Christopheren Nomura

4. III. Motet: Nigra Sum - Christopheren Nomura

5. Antiphon - Christopheren Nomura

6. IV. Psalm 112: Laudate Pueri - Christopheren Nomura

7. V. Motet: Pulchra Es - Christopheren Nomura

8. Antiphon - Christopheren Nomura

9. VI. Psalm 121: Laetatus Sum - Christopheren Nomura

10. VII. Motet: Duo Seraphim - Christopheren Nomura

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. XI. Sonata Sopra 'Sancta Maria, Ora Pro Nobis' - Claudio Monteverdi

2. XII. Hymn: Ave Maris Stella - Claudio Monteverdi

3. XII. Antiphon: XIII Magnificat - Claudio Monteverdi

4. 1. Magnificat Anima Mea - Claudio Monteverdi

5. 2. Et Exultavit - Claudio Monteverdi

6. 3. Quia Respexit - Claudio Monteverdi

7. 4. Quia Fecit Mihi Magna - Claudio Monteverdi

8. 5. Et Misericordia - Claudio Monteverdi

9. 6. Fecit Potentiam - Claudio Monteverdi

10. 7. Deposuit Potentes De Sede - Claudio Monteverdi

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This performance of Monteverdi's extraordinary collection of sacred music, which received a 1999 Grammy nomination, has its good points, but it can't really be considered best even in its class. Martin Pearlman leads a relatively large-scale performance, using a 30-member chorus (often doubled by instruments) throughout; he adds some plainchant before the Psalms; he takes the Lauda Jerusalem and Magnificat at high pitch. The instrumentalists play their difficult parts quite creditably, and Pearlman takes some exciting tempos. Unfortunately, his chorus can't always keep up with him: they often sound muddy and, in fast passages, sometimes downright sloppy. The soprano soloists sing attractively but with wider vibratos than ideal for this music; the tenors, however, are very good indeed, with Richard Croft's heartfelt, sensitively embellished, beautifully modulated singing deserving an award for Best Performance of Monteverdi by a Mainstream Opera Singer. If you want a full-scale choral performance, though, you'll do better with that of René Jacobs or William Christie, and Andrew Parrott's reconstruction of a Vespers service (done mostly one-singer-per-part) is not to be missed. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good version, January 13, 2005

By 

Teemacs (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monteverdi - Vespers of 1610 (Vespro della Beata Vergine) (Audio CD)

Will someone please shoot Matthew Westphal and put us all out of our misery? We have to endure his claptrap on this piece constantly. OK, so he loves the museum-piece-vaguely-resuscitated Parrott version. Fine, but I for one am fed up hearing it used to poo-pooh better versions - such as this one. It's not the best - that honour for me belongs to Gardiner in the fabulous "live" version in San Marco, followed by Suzuki with the Bach Collegium Japan, but this is definitely up in the second division. It has antiphons, but they aren't allowed to get in the way, and the singing and playing, while not the best, are pretty darn good. A version to which I shall frequently return.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, subtle and yet brilliant., April 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Monteverdi - Vespers of 1610 (Vespro della Beata Vergine) (Audio CD)

I have always enjoyed listening to music of the 17th century and late 16th century, but am no "expert" of that period. Music of Tallis, Byrd, Monteverdi, and both Gabriellis are so rich and brilliant in their subtle simplicities, being beyond compare with others of that period.

I found this particular CD to be of a par with what I am able to hear in my head, in my soul; as a prayer would be offered. The mixture of the rich chorus and original instrument accompaniments are very close to perfection. Comparative performances notwithstanding, I would recommend this CD as an introduction to this period of music, especially to the new listener.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dazzling performance of an astonishing work., March 12, 1999

By 

Irwin Reynolds ([e-mail]) (Skokie, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monteverdi - Vespers of 1610 (Vespro della Beata Vergine) (Audio CD)

Pearlman's is a dazzling performance of this most astonishing of choral masterpieces; a clear first choice. Not even the benchmark recording by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir can match it. The acoustic of the venue and the top-drawer Telarc sound combine to heighten the sublime sense of spatial dimension and spirituality at the heart of the music; and the inclusion of the plainchant antiphons (omitted by Gardiner) gives the performance a sense of occasion and completeness. This is the stuff of revelation; an experience of breath-taking beauty and wonder. If you don't already own this CD, buy it. NOW!