Monteverdi: Vespers: BBC Singers: Monday 19. R3 in Concert

[doversoul1]

7.30 pm
The BBC Singers and I Fagiolini join forces with period-instrument ensemble St James's Baroque for a performance of one of the most important pieces in the choral repertoire.
Recorded at Milton Court, London

Monteverdi: Vespers (1610)

I Fagiolini
BBC Singers
St James's Baroque
David Hill (conductor)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06hkljw

A brave attempt.....

[ardcarp]

Milton Court is, I think, the new concert hall of the Guildhall School of Music, with adjustable acoustics. Hope they have a San Marco setting.

[MrGongGong]

A brave attempt.....

Hi Simon, where have you been?

[Flosshilde]

A brave attempt.....

Did you heard it before the broadcast? Why was it 'brave'?

(or are you referring to Monteverdi's attempt to impress the basilica authorities at St Mark's Venice? )

[DracoM]

How is everybody coping with it so far?

[Bryn]

How is everybody coping with it so far?

I'm coping by not listening to it.

[doversoul1]

Did you heard it before the broadcast? Why was it 'brave'?

(or are you referring to Monteverdi's attempt to impress the basilica authorities at St Mark's Venice? )

In a similar way as a modern symphony orchestra tackling Bach’s Orchestral Suites. Nothing to stop it performing the work but the performance would be bound to be compared with those by Baroque specialist ensembles.

[Serial_Apologist]

Milton Court is, I think, the new concert hall of the Guildhall School of Music, with adjustable acoustics.

Did they raise the roof?

[DracoM]

Live in Milton court maybe. Not here.

[Flay]

Were the voices not too rich? Too much vibrato?

It wasn't what I expected

[Flosshilde]

I enjoyed it - but then with music this good the performance would have to be pretty dreadful for it not to be enjoyable. & whatever the views of some here about the BBC Singers they can't be dreadful, or surely non-BBC performing groups & conductors wouldn't work with them? Or is it a case of R3 saying 'if you don't use the BBC Singers you'll never appear on R3'?

[ardcarp]

I found myself asking, 'Why?' The piece surely calls for space and grandeur. I've been to the concert hall at Milton Court and heard a piano recital there. Fine. But surely the Vespers would have sounded a whole lot more splendid in one of any number of London churches?

Off topic, but it may interest some to know that the patch of prime real estate in London was given to The Guildhall School of Music and Drama by The City of London. The cost of building the outstanding Drama and Music facilities on the bottom few floors was funded by the developers' being allowed to build luxury apartments in the sky space above. (As I understand it.)

[Quarky]

Good - oh. Managed to listen to this the whole way through, and enjoyed it.

I can appreciate that it may not have been a perfect, genuine echt performance, but if the aim is always to produce an absolute perfect reproduction of what it ought to sound like, then that rather stifles innovation and creativity, n'est ce pas?

[teamsaint]

Good - oh. Managed to listen to this the whole way through, and enjoyed it.

I can appreciate that it may not have been a perfect, genuine echt performance, but if the aim is always to produce an absolute perfect reproduction of what it ought to sound like, then that rather stifles innovation and creativity, n'est ce pas?

I agree Odders. Just listened all the way through, and it was pretty enjoyable.
Interesting comments from David Hill ( in the pause before the Magnificat) about the reasons for the choice of venue, which made sense.

there seemed to be a real purpose about it, and it paid off. I'm not always aware that there IS real purpose in what the BBC singers do. I expect I usually turn off too soon to discover what it is. !!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... but if the aim is always to produce an absolute perfect reproduction of what it ought to sound like, then that rather stifles innovation and creativity, n'est ce pas?

Non. (Not if you trust the innovation and creativity of the composer - and, fine Musician as he is, Mr Hill's creativity doesn't begin to match Mr Greenhill's.)

I wasn't particularly upset by the singing, but I felt that the broadcast sound was rather congested and muffled - and I prefer a little more impudence in a performance of the "Vespers" than that provided by this conductor.