Monteverdi - Vespers 1610
£24.65
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Label: Linn
Cat No: CKD569
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 2
Genre: Vocal/Choral
Release Date: 8th September 2017
Contents
Artists
Dunedin ConsortHis Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts
Conductor
John ButtWorks
Vespro della beata VergineArtists
Dunedin ConsortHis Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts
Conductor
John ButtAbout
Sound/Video
Paused
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1Deus in adiutorium
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2PSALM Dixit Dominus
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3CONCERTO Nigra sum
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4PSALM Laudate pueri Dominum
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5CONCERTO Pulchra es
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6PSALM Laetatus sum
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7CONCERTO Duo Seraphim
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8PSALM Nisi Dominus
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9CONCERTO Audi coelum
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10PSALM Lauda Jerusalem
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11Sonata sopra Sancta Maria
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12HYMN Ave maris stella
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13MAGNIFICAT - Magnificat
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14Et exultavit spiritus meus
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15Quia respexit humilitatem
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16Quia fecit mihi magna
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17Et misericordia eius
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18Fecit potentiam in brachio suo
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19Deposuit potentes de sede
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20Esurientes implevit bonis
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21Suscepit Israel puerum suum
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22Sicut locutus est
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23Gloria Patri
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24Sicut erat inn principio
Europadisc Review
In his customarily detailed and thoughtful booklet notes, Butt explains his decisions to set down what is in effect a ‘concert’ performance of the Vespers rather than a liturgical reconstruction complete with chant (as practised by Parrott and his Taverner forces on Veritas x2), as well as the use of single voices (ten in total) and correspondingly small instrumental forces (18 instrumentalists, including the six players of His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts). This is a very different sound from the studied grandiloquence of Gardiner on DG Archiv, and it means that, although there is scarcely any loss of opulence in Monteverdi’s majestically-scored tutti sections, the work as a whole takes on a more ‘human’ face, not just in the operatically expressive motets (or sacred concertos) interleaved between the Psalm settings, but also in the Psalms themselves and in the multi-section Magnificat (only the seven-voice version is included). This is surely an important aspect in a work that was compiled by Monteverdi after a period of crisis towards the end of his years of service in Mantua: overworked and underpaid, but also still grieving for his late wife and exhausted following the demands placed on him by the marriage ceremonies for Francesco Gonzaga.
Other issues addressed by Butt are the pitch at which the work is performed (a semitone higher than most other ‘period instrument’ recordings, lending a marked and pleasing brightness to the sound), and the use of a sampled ‘virtual organ’ to reproduce the sounds of an authentic Italianate organ within the acoustic of Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh, where the sessions took place. Perhaps most importantly of all, Butt offers his own thoughts on the thorny question of tempo relationships between sections, which bear fruit in some unexpected and highly persuasive changes of gear.
As for the wider virtues of the performance, any ensemble including such accomplished artists as soprano Joanna Lunn, bass Peter Harvey, and the distinctive tenor of Nicholas Mulroy has nothing to fear from competition, domestic or international. The special demands placed on the solo voices, not least the tenors, are tackled with superb stylishness: the motets Nigra sum, Duo Seraphim and Audi coelum are as compelling and convincing as on any rival recording, which is saying much. The instrumental contributions are similarly impressive, above all in the exuberantly dance-like Sonata sopra Sancta Maria, a performance positively bursting with energy and colour. Like the recording as a whole, the Magnificat achieves an ideal balance between passion and magnificence: the decision to transpose this (as well as the Psalm Laudate Jerusalem) down a fourth results in some wonderfully fruity low textures from the basses. It builds to an irresistible climax, setting the seal on a work that, in Denis Arnold’s memorable words, ‘seems to inhabit a world of its own’.
The recorded balance throughout favours the voices to just the right degree for such forces, while sounding as natural as ever from the Linn team. Rhythms are buoyant and the faster sections are generally brisk, though thankfully not to the extent of Christina Pluhar’s currently unavailable account with L’Arpeggiata. If you’re looking for an account of the Vespers that avoids the eccentrically languid speeds of La Compagnia del Madrigale or the suave extravagance of Gardiner, this endlessly absorbing, beautifully presented and intensely focused performance from Butt and his forces ticks all the right boxes. What better way to mark the 450th birthday of one of western music’s greatest geniuses?
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