Monteverdi - The Other Vespers

The Guardian 80

I Fagiolini/Hollingworth
(Decca)

To celebrate Monteverdi’s 450th anniversary, recordings, performances and even a staging of 1610 Vespers, are planned. This disc cleverly sidesteps that with a rich compilation of music that he and others wrote for the Vespers service. The 1641 collection Selva morale is full of amazing pieces, and these are gathered into a pseudo-liturgy that includes well-known works such as Beatus Vir alongside some strange rarities like a Palestrina motet with weird elaborations for cornetto. Gabrieli’s marvellous 14-part Magnificat is a highlight; all the performances under Robert Hollingworth using professional and younger voices are gently moulded, resonantly beautiful: a noble celebration.