Giovanni Legrenzi’s eventual rise to fame can be measured by the fact that both Bach and Handel chose his melodies as themes for their contrapuntal elaborations. Many years earlier, however, as a young composer in Ferrara, Legrenzi wrote Compiete (‘Compline’ in English) which constitutes the final moment of prayer in the monastic or secular day. It is a work of dazzling beauty that shows a mature, conscious mastery of the most up-to-date compositional techniques of Legrenzi’s time in the ‘nuova musica’, and fully honours Monteverdi’s precedent in ensuring music serves the text in all its richness and variety.

Founded in 1998 by Giovanni Acciai, Nova Ars Cantandi is one of the most original and creative ensembles in today’s early music scene. Specialising in rare and unpublished Italian sacred vocal repertoire, Nova Ars Cantandi is particularly admired and acclaimed for its exemplary performances. For over 20 years the ensemble of singers and instrumentalists has enabled audiences to explore a musical world full of intense emotion and rare beauty, authentic to the Baroque era, performing in cities such as Venice, Rome and Naples.

Unanimously recognised as one of the leading interpreters of Renaissance and Baroque vocal repertoire, Giovanni Acciai served as conductor of the chamber choir of RAI in Rome and the symphonic choir of RAI in Turin. He is currently the conductor and artistic director of the collegium vocale et instrumentale Nova Ars Cantandi, with which he has made numerous recordings, and given concert tours both in Italy and abroad.