Monteverdi Vespers and More Live in Concert 18, 19 May

[doversoul1]

Did anyone catch either or both?

The first of two concerts from the London Festival of Baroque Music. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment plays music by Vivaldi and Porpora, joined by the Oxford-based choir Schola Pietatis Antonio Vivaldi, an all-women choir which specialises in recreating the sound of the female orphanage choir that Vivaldi composed for.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vh237

In the final concert of the London Festival of Baroque Music, James O'Donnell conducts The Choir of Westminster Abbey and St James's Baroque in Monteverdi's stupendous Vespers of 1610.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05vh7dj

[ed.] The AOE concert was on Sunday 17th

[DracoM]

V.interesting to have total in-house soloists, including trebles, who by and large did pretty manfully, particularly at the very bottom end of their voices, tho' clearly - at least as miked by BBC - did not have quite the 'push' a sop/counter-tenor might have. But maybe we have got too used to the more assertive style of today's back rows in choirs. Would be great to hear from those who heard it LIVE in situ?

Clearly Monteverdi had a very talented bunch at his disposal to have written such material for them.

Not sure the huge perspectives of WAbbey came across as well as Martin Handley hinted was the layout, but I don't have surround sound so cannot tell. Can anyone with good kit report on how it came across?

Loved the GENTLE singing JO'D got from the choir, beautifully floated and disciplined. Instrumentalists fabulous.

Brave and largely successful to go for solo trebles in that final section of echo singing in the Mag. Do not some recordings do this as a counter-tenor duet?

[Richard Barrett]

Clearly Monteverdi had a very talented bunch at his disposal to have written such material for them.

Not to forget though that Monteverdi (like JS Bach) was writing for an ensemble of soloists rather than what we would call a choir!

[DracoM]

Indeed.

[Old Grumpy]

I too was not over impressed with the demonstration of the spatial contribution to the performance. I was listening through headphones and found the proximity of the treble singing slightly off-putting due to the slightly ragged sound on occasion. Perhaps I am too used to the polished performance of some of the professional ensembles!

It would be interesting to hear what it sounded like for real.

OG