Monteverdi's Modernity

JANUARY 2, 2018
by Margaret Darby, for BroadStreetReview.com

From its opening responsorium (beautifully projected from the back of St. Clement’s Church by bass Jean Bernard Cerin) to the final "Magnificat," Choral Arts Philadelphia’s performance of Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespro Della Beata Vergin, 1610 (Vespers of 1610), started lively and remained exciting. Under the direction of Matthew Glandorf, its wild dissonances and rhythms highlighted those trademarks of Monteverdi’s music.

The Bach Collegium (regular players for Choral Arts Philadelphia's Bach @7 programs, minus their woodwinds), were joined by members of the Dark Horse Consort, who played instruments common to Monteverdi’s time: sackbut, cornetto, and recorders. The cornetti are surprisingly gentle, having thicker walls, finger holes, and a narrower bell than their modern descendant, the trumpet.

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