Organization

Admin

Cappella Mediterranea

Conductor

Leonardo García Alarcón

Singer

Soprano

Mariana Flores

Gwendoline Blondeel

Soprano II

Julie Roset

Countertenor

Leandro Marziotte

David Sagastume

Tenor

Valerio Contaldo

Mathias Vidal

Tenor II

Bass

Alejandro Meerapeel

Salvo Vitale

Rafael Galaz Ramirez

Others

Chœur de Chambre de Namur

Monteverdi, Vespro Della Beata Vergine

Lisbon

Portugal

Gulbenkian Foundation

Madrid

Spain

Auditorio Nacional de Musica

Sala Sinfónica

Versailles

France

Chapelle Royale

Metz

Cité musicale-Metz

Grande Salle

Monteverdi, Vespro Della Beata Vergine: Vespro della Beata Vergine Monteverdi

Public

Vespers

Simon Samuel

Approved

Avec les Vespro della beata Vergine, Monteverdi imagine l’un des premiers monuments de la musique sacrée européenne. Méditative et théâtrale à la fois, sa partition est conçue comme une somme de prières qui n’hésite pas à faire appel à l’expression de la joie, voire à la plus grande sensualité. Le sentiment baroque de la musique est déjà tout entier présent dans ces pages vocales d’une grande virtuosité, qui alternant avec des moments pleins de relief confiés aux instruments. Soucieux de retrouver la spatialisation des sources musicales telle qu’elle était pratiquée à la basilique Saint-Marc de Venise, Leonardo García Alarcón, familier de Radio France, révélera toute la beauté de cette musique à la tête de sa Cappella Mediterranea et de son Chœur de chambre de Namur.

CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI
Les Vêpres de la Vierge

MARIANA FLORES soprano
GWENDOLINE BLONDEEL soprano
DAVID SAGASTUME contre-ténor
VALERIO CONTALDO ténor
MATHIAS VIDAL ténor
ALEJANDRO MEERAPFEL baryton
SALVO VITALE basse 

CHŒUR DE CHAMBRE DE NAMUR
CAPPELLA MEDITERRANEA
MAÎTRISE DE RADIO FRANCE
SOFI JEANNIN cheffe de chœur
LEONARDO GARCÍA ALARCÓN orgue et direction

The origins of Vespers (from the Latin vesper: evening, the most solemn hour of the Divine Office) date back to the earliest days of Christianity. Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine reproduces the main prayers of Vespers for the Virgin under Roman rite (five psalms, the Ave maris stella hymn and the Magnificat). Marian devotion, which was defended in the 16th century by the Council of Trent in response to the Protestant Reformation, was particularly common in Mantua, where Monteverdi was Kapellmeister to Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga.
“Cappella Mediterranea does not fail to stand out in what may appear to be a primarily vocal work, reminding us that “Sonata sopra Sancta Maria” is also a brilliant instrumental work. Under Leonardo García Alarcón’s sometimes whimsical but always precise baton, the ensemble proves to be remarkably flexible, providing the ideal setting for the vocals.“

Alexandre Jamar – Forumopéra


A NEW TYPE OF RELIGIOUS MUSIC
With his Vespro della beata Vergine, Monteverdi produced one of the first masterpieces of European sacred music. His score is a sum of prayers, both meditative and theatrical, replete with expressions of joy and even the utmost sensuality. The baroque nature of the music is fully present in the highly virtuosic vocal part, which alternates with instrumental passages of incredible depth. Eager to rediscover how musical sources were staged at Venice’s Basilica di San Marco, Leonardo García Alarcón, by now a familiar figure at Radio France, reveals the beauty of this music at the helm of his ensembles, Cappella Mediterranea and the Chœur de Chambre de Namur.

English

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Ensemble