The Vespro Della Beata Vergine, together with L'Orfeo, is one of Claudio Monteverdi's most appreciated works. Extensive musicological research has therefore been done on it. Despite this, the origin of the work remains a mystery. The work was published in 1610, more or less as an extra to a mass. It is suspected that Monteverdi composed this Mass to gain the favor of the Pope. After all, the composer
… was fed up with his job at the court of Mantua, wanted to leave and Rome was an option. The Vespers were probably intended to make the issue more attractive for publication. Presumably it concerns arrangements of liturgical material composed earlier for Mantua. However, the publication is not always clear and clear. Conductor Rinaldo Alessandrini had to do a lot of research to make certain responsible choices with regard to performance. For example, he chooses to have each vocal part sing by one voice, he only uses instruments where Monteverdi has explicitly indicated it and he transposes the seven-part Magnificat down. The result sounds excellent. (CP)more
