Vespero della Beata Vergine [Vespers of the Blessed Virgin]

'The playing is superbly effective...the singing among the best you are likely to hear'
Disc of the Month BBC Music Magazine Nov 2006

Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort & Players present a marvellous new recording of one of the early masterpieces of the Baroque era, Monteverdi's Vespro della beata vergine

Vespro della beata vergine – Claudio Monteverdi's collection of psalm settings for Vespers published in 1610 – carries a strong appeal for music listeners of our time. With its structural clarity and focus on the beauty of the human voice, it outshines much of the sacred music of the following decades.

Along with assembling his usual formidable cast of Baroque specialist singers, Paul McCreesh had two special violins made exclusively for this recording.

Concert performances of the Vespers garnered critical acclaim: "The energy and imagination of McCreesh's performance with the Gabrieli Consort and Players re-created the atmosphere of early 17th-century Italy in the 21st-century East End of London… The depth and insight of the vocal performances was matched by the brilliance of the instrumental playing” (Guardian)

Once again McCreesh and his ensemble demonstrate their excellence in early Baroque repertoire as they bring this Monteverdi masterpiece back to life