Claudio Monteverdi‘s cycle Vespro della Beata Vergine was published in July 1610 in Venice, when Monteverdi was still in the service of the ducal court in Mantua, although the work – as well as a six-voice mass published with it – was dedicated to Pope Paul V. The motive and purpose behind the creation of this monumental cycle remains ambiguous to this day and the subject of debate among musicologists for decades: it is conceivable that Monteverdi, who was no longer happy in Mantua by 1610, wrote the work at least partly as an “audition piece” in hope of securing a new, more worthy position. At the same time, no unequivocal evidence has survived indicating that the work was performed in the composer’s lifetime either in Mantua or Venice, where Monteverdi filled the post of chapel master at St Mark's Basilica from 1613 until his death.
The Vespro is one of the most brilliant works in European musical history and one of Monteverdi’s most important achievements: it is an honour for us that the Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra will be the first to perform it in the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall. (György Vashegyi)

Presented by: Sysart Kft. - Orfeo Foundation