BaL 27.04.2024 - Monteverdi: Vespers (1610)

[Pulcinella]

Building a Library
Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi's Vespers for the Blessed Virgin is an ambitious and beautiful sequence of psalms, motets and sonatas. Conductor Jeremy Summerly joins Andrew to present his ultimate recommendation to buy, download or stream.

The Presto site gives 77 entries, many of which are duplications.

Here is the link to the general list.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse

And here are links to some filtered lists.

CD options:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse?format=CD&size=10&view=large&sort=relevance

SACD options:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse?format=CD&size=10&view=large&sort=relevance

Presto CD option:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse?format=Presto%20CD&size=10&view=large&sort=relevance

Download options:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse?format=2&size=10&view=large&sort=relevance

Hi-Res Download options:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse?format=3&size=10&view=large&sort=relevance

Super Hi-Res Download option:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse?format=4&size=10&view=large&sort=relevance

DVD and Blu-ray options:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse?format=All%20DVD%20%26%20Blu-ray%20videos&size=10&view=large&sort=relevance

[Pulcinella]

Available recordings (listed purely by conductor)

Alarcón
Alessandrini
Allwood
Bardazzi
Bernius
Bestion
Boterf
Breiding
Butt
Christie
Christophers
Corboz
Craft
Fasolis
Gardiner (Decca)
Gardiner (DG)
Gini
Harnoncourt
Higginbottom
Howarth
Hennig
Herreweghe
Jackson
Jacobs
Jochum
Junghänel
Katschner
King
Kuijken
Ledger
Maletto
Malgoire
Matacic
McCreesh
Mencoboni
Otto
Parrott
Pichon
Pickett
Pluhar
Quigley
Rademann
Savall
Sorrell
Stubbs
Suzuki
Unattributed (Dark Horse Consort)
Unattributed (Scholars Baroque Ensemble)
Wallenstein
Wilson

[Pulcinella]

Previous winners and other award winners.

Here is the filtered list of award winners.

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/59046--monteverdi-vespro-della-beata-vergine-1610/browse?award_winner=true&size=10&view=large&sort=r elevance

I'm sure that Darloboy will clarify, but the King recording seems to have been flagged as the BaL winner in both April 2007 and December 2010.

I realise that mention of King will evoke strong feelings in many forum members.
May I respectfully suggest that any comments are kept solely to the musical aspects of any performance.

[Wolfram]

I realise that mention of King will evoke strong feelings in many forum members.
May I respectfully suggest that any comments are kept solely to the musical aspects of any performance.

On purely musical grounds it’s an excellent, and comprehensive, recording. The soloists are especially good - Sampson is particularly fine. But I still love the Parrott recording. I’m not greatly knowledgable about Monteverdi, so I cannot comment on authenticity matters, but if I only had Parrott’s recording, that would be just fine.

[smittims]

I'm content with my two old favourites, which I cannot hear too often:

Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, John Eliot Gardner, Decca, 1976-ish. and Robert Craft's 1967 CBS recording made in Hollywood.

[Pulcinella]

I'm content with my two old favourites, which I cannot hear too often:

Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, John Eliot Gardner, Decca, 1976-ish. and Robert Craft's 1967 CBS recording made in Hollywood.

Both JEG recordings here.
The earlier Decca one was actually recorded in January 1974 in St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, after Prom performances in Westminster Cathedral in 1972 and 1973 (I haven't checked to see how many of the soloists are the same); the DG Archiv recording is from a live performance in May 1989 in St Mark's Venice.

[oliver sudden]

On purely musical grounds it’s an excellent, and comprehensive, recording. The soloists are especially good - Sampson is particularly fine. But I still love the Parrott recording. I’m not greatly knowledgable about Monteverdi, so I cannot comment on authenticity matters, but if I only had Parrott’s recording, that would be just fine.

The Parrott was the first recording I got to know (borrowed from a public library in the suburbs of Melbourne…) and I expected it to be superseded reasonably soon but well over thirty years later I’m still waiting. Emma Kirkby at her absolute peak and Nigel Rogers maybe no longer at his but certainly giving a very realistic impression of what his peak was like. For my ear and my tastes no one has bettered that combination.

Probably the most important performance practice question is the pitch of Lauda Jerusalem and the Magnificat, which of course with Parrott are much lower than they had previously been on record. It has to do with the combination of clefs the pieces were originally written in, which at the time would have indicated the transposition that Parrott uses. I am in no position to assess it musicologically but musically it makes complete sense to my ear since otherwise those movements just sound squeaky. Like someone has put the record on at 45 rpm by mistake.

[MickyD]

I have many versions but the all-male voices one from Edward Higginbottom is very much to my taste.

[teamsaint]

I'm content with my two old favourites, which I cannot hear too often:

Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, John Eliot Gardner, Decca, 1976-ish. and Robert Craft's 1967 CBS recording made in Hollywood.

The '74 JEG/ Monteverdi Choir would be a deserved winner. Of course I would say that, as I'm singing on it !!
I was in the Salisbury Cathedral choir at the time, and recording this in London was a real highlight of my time as a chorister.
After the previous years' performance, JEG did a bit of scouting around for a choir that could fulfill his quite specific requirements ( very particular sounds and pronunciations ) and we managed to get the job.
We had done the usual round of events, including R3 evensong broadcasts and even the Royal Maundy, but this really felt to us like the big time. London, loads of recording kit, a record label that was very well known, and big name soloists. We spent two days recording, staying IIRC at the RSCM in Croydon (?).
I recall JEG being pretty demanding, certainly a very different style to Richard Seal our DoM , but not unreasonable. We got on fine with him , and everybody else seemed to , from what we saw.
Fantastic and memorable experience personally, and I suspect that it was good for us as a choir, having to adapt to new ways of doing things.

[smittims]

Thanks, teamsaint; a valuable memoir there; I'd always wondered just how the Salisbury choir came to be involved.

As for the 'big name soloists', even in the mid-70s some people questioned their inclusion. When I showed the cover, with its splendid Walter Sickert painting of S. Mark's, to a friend, he said 'but these are not the right singers to be performing this musiic.' I said that all the artists involved were just the musicians I wanted to hear in it, and fifty years later I'm glad to be quite unrepentant!

[Pulcinella]

June 2010 Gramophone comparative review.
I see that (pace Oliver) the discography has a note of which versions transpose the Magnificat.

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/monteverdi-s-vespers-which-recording-is-best

[Pulcinella]

The Magnificat from JEG's Decca recording (transposed in terms of context if not pitch) appears on this Christmas in Venice CD, which I realise I have (this incarnation; there are several others). Not sure now why I duplicated it in my collection, unless it was for the Gabrieli and Bassano.
I hope that teamsaint or Salisbury got a cut of additional royalties.
I guess the Magnificat counts as Christmas music.

https://www.discogs.com/release/14443702-The-Monteverdi-ChoirPhilip-Jones-Brass-Ensemble-John-Eliot-Gardiner-Christmas-In-Venice

[richardfinegold]

Both JEG recordings here.
The earlier Decca one was actually recorded in January 1974 in St Jude on the Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, after Prom performances in Westminster Cathedral in 1972 and 1973 (I haven't checked to see how many of the soloists are the same); the DG Archiv recording is from a live performance in May 1989 in St Mark's Venice.

The Decca is my only recording so I am interested in exploring others.
I am interested in the video options, particularly since I have been renewing my usage of my surround system lately. Is the layout of the musicians important here? Does it lend itself to spatial audio recordings? Since Pulci has nicely divided the listings up into categories, does anyone have a particular video or high resolution recommendation?

[Pulcinella]

I think that this version, tailored for the Feast of St Barbara, might also be considered:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9594219--monteverdi-vespers-for-the-feast-of-santa-barbara

This recording of Monteverdi's Vespers presents the work as it was probably first heard at the Court of the Duke of Mantua. It contains many extra chants, a motet by Palestrina, and some instrumental sonatas, possibly by Amigone.

[teamsaint]

The Magnificat from JEG's Decca recording (transposed in terms of context if not pitch) appears on this Christmas in Venice CD, which I realise I have (this incarnation; there are several others). Not sure now why I duplicated it in my collection, unless it was for the Gabrieli and Bassano.
I hope that teamsaint or Salisbury got a cut of additional royalties.
I guess the Magnificat counts as Christmas music.

https://www.discogs.com/release/1444...tmas-In-Venice

Thanks for pointing this out Pulcers. Never saw a penny extra in royalties !!

We received a straight fee , which I guess was standard , so doubtless legal action would be fruitless !! IIRC the fee was quite generous compared to others that we received, but I cant remember exactly what, though we also got a copy of the rather nice boxed double LP.
My total fees for recordings, recitals etc from Salisbury over my time there were in the region of £75 I think. I seem to remember blowing it , or putting it towards on my first decent stereo, Wharfdales, Amstrad amp, and can’t remember the turntable.