Considered one of the greatest compositions written for voices and instruments in the history of music, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 is a collection of virtuosic choral works and intimate solo arias, interspersed with a variety of instrumental pieces so magnificent that it makes for elevated entertainment.
To celebrate the 450th anniversary of the birth of Claudio Monteverdi, many choral groups are focusing on the Vespers. For Mountain View-based Schola Cantorum, their goal is to enrich the audience’s historical experience by singing this monumental work in the iconic Mission Santa Clara de Asis on Saturday, March 18 at 7:00 pm. Music Director Gregory Wait thought the liturgical environment of the Mission was a perfect venue, with its frescoed ceiling and iconography reflecting the Christian perspective of the piece, while the warm acoustics highlight the beauty of the music.
The seventy-member choir, divided into ten parts, will be accompanied by The Whole Noyse, the go-to ensemble which specializes in performing Monteverdi’s Vespers, having participated in over 200 performances throughout the U.S and in Canada. With their replicas of early woodwind and brass instruments, The Whole Noyse lends a historic flavor commensurate to the age of the piece.
“It never ceases to please us to perform the Vespers,” says Herbert Myers, who plays the curtal—an ancestor of the bassoon—as well as the viola and Renaissance flute. Joining him are Stephen Escher and Carlo Benedetti playing cornetts—a cross between a woodwind and a brass; and Richard Van Hessel, Michael Cushing, and Ernest Rideout on sackbuts—an early trombone. With the addition of string instruments for this concert, a total of ten musicians round out the group, many playing recorders as well. Dawn Reyen, Schola’s assistant director and accompanist, will join the instrumentalists, performing on the synthesizer organ.
Singing with the choir are soloists Angelique Zuluaga, soprano; David Kurtenbach, tenor; Andrew Metzger, tenor; and Daniel Borup, baritone.
Tickets for this one-time concert are $30 general admission. To order: www.ScholaCantorum.org, or 650-254-1700.
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