Price: 19,80 €

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For most music lovers, Monteverdi’s sacred music starts and ends with his sumptuous Vespers of the Blessed Virgin which he published, along with a mass, in 1610. However, amazing as they are, the 1610 Vespers are but one facet of Monteverdi’s sacred music corpus and, paradoxically, they belong to a period when he was not employed as a church musician in the first place.

This disk displays a seldom used repertory, an splendid polyphony, with rich harmonies, and with a polyphonic abundancy. One may easily envision Venice at the top of her glory. In accordance with the Venetian tradition initiated by A. Gabrieli, Monteverdi likes to have alternations of the choirs, soloists and instrumentalists, be they placed in two or three different gallery, before ending on a luxuriant conclusion.
With Monteverdi, the constant change of distribution embellishes his music, but places it beyond the reach of amateurs.

This first volume of a long series of Monteverdi’s sacred music by the excellent King’s Consort – a top level English choir and musical ensemble – makes us water at the mouth. Unlike the series of disks on Vivaldi, in which Robert King offers a rather intellectual interpretation, he now offers us a more physical, emotional interpretation, probably close to that was heard in Venice at the beginning of the XVIIth century. An exceptional CD, as the number of our listeners shows.

Choir of the King's Consort
The King's Consort
Robert King, conductor

Content

1. Dixit Dominus (primo) à 8 (10'00)
2. Confitebor (primo) (8'40)
3. Beatus vir I (7'51)
4. Laudate pueri (primo) (7'14)
5. Laudate Dominum omnes gentes (4'45)
6. Christe, Redemptor omnium (4'13)
7. Magnificat (primo) (13'50)
8. Messa à 4 : Kyrie (2'35)
9. Gloria (3'35)
10. Credo (5'40)
11. Sanctus (2'05)
12. Agnus Dei (3'20)

Duration: 75'45

Listening extracts

Track 1


Track 3


Track 5


Track 7


Track 8