Location: St. Joseph Church
129 Edwards St.
New Haven, CT 06511
Admission: Free
Open to: General Public
Description: David Hill, conductor
Preconcert talk at 6:30 PM: Style and Spirituality in Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610
Claudio Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers encompasses an astonishing breadth of expression: monumentality and intimacy, serenity and ecstasy, embodied sensuality and transcendent spirituality. The sheer beauty and power of this collection of psalms and motets are captivating in themselves, but how might we locate deeper spiritual meaning in this culturally remote music? In this lecture, ISM senior research fellow Michael Dodds offers an introduction to the work, exploring spiritual implications of Monteverdi’s musical responses to the verbal text.
Concert at 7:30 PM
Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, also known as the Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, constitutes one of the most remarkable collections of sacred music ever published. In it, Monteverdi showcased his mastery of the most advanced compositional techniques of his day, stating in his preface his hopes that the volume would be pleasing to God and the pope while silencing the mouths of the composer’s detractors. Though his fame today rests mainly on his operas and madrigals, we should be reminded that Monteverdi composed sacred music throughout his life, and the Vespers stands as his first major contribution to that genre.
Notes by Benjamin Thorburn
Vespro della Beata Vergine Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
I. Domine ad adiuvandum
II. Dixit Dominus
III. Nigra sum
IV. Laudate pueri
V. Pulchra es
VI. Laetatus sum
VII. Duo Seraphim
VIII. Nisi Dominus
IX. Audi coelom
X. Lauda Jerusalem
XI. Sonata à 8 sopra Sancta Maria ora pro nobis
XII. Ave maris stella
XIII. Magnificat