Another unforgettable event marked this memorable edition of the Monteverdi Festival in 2024: the long-awaited one with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants who presented to the public, who literally packed the church of San Marcellino, an intriguing selection of Monteverdian pieces taken largely from Moral and spiritual wildernessthe collection of sacred music of the divine Claudius perhaps most famous after the Vespers of the Blessed Virgin.
The programme, like the collection itself, is extremely varied, ranging from moral madrigals, to psalms, up to the famous Crying of the Madonna performed above Ariadne’s Lament.
From the first notes, the frantic search for the clarity of sound is immediately striking, not an end in itself, but investigated almost as a means to access a metaphysical dimension. Everything is managed within a wonderful balance that has nothing artificial, but rather shines with grace and naturalness; every detail is masterfully measured and controlled, the word is both soft and incisive and every note shines purity and clarity.
The embellishments and agility seem sculpted in marble and are part of a crystalline texture, permeated in every note with an undeniable elegance that flows into pure musicality. An interpretation therefore in which balance reigns supreme, so much so that it literally touches the magic of the sublime.
The singers are truly extraordinary. On the female side, the sopranos Lucía MartÍn-Cartón And Gwendoline Blondeel shine for the transparency and crystalline lightness of the instrument, perfectly in harmony with the richness of colors clearly revealed, especially in the low register, by the full-bodied contralto voice of Mélodie Ruvio.
On the male side Bastien Rimondi And Cyril Auvity they are both a living lesson in impeccable style and legate, as demonstrated by their “Salve Regina”, while the bass Cyril Costanzo offers the spectator a masterful “Laudate Dominum” SV 197 performed with a sonorous voice, rich in harmonics and very solid bass.
The instrumental team featured is equally refined in execution William Christie to the management and the body.
An unforgettable evening which saw the audience pay tribute with a very long standing ovation culminating in the performance of two encores: the Confitebor SV 267 and the Beatus vir I SV 268.
The review refers to the concert on Thursday 20 June 2024.
Simone Manfredini
