1610 is a fundamental year for Monteverdi’s biography, because it sees the publication of Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary alongside that of the Mass at that timewith a dedication in both cases to Paul V Borghese.
Monteverdi hoped to obtain favours from the Pope for himself and his son Francesco and for this very reason he went down to Rome, where probably only the Mass However, it was brought to the Pope’s attention as it was much more in keeping with the tastes of the Roman Curia, although written for six voices and not four as was customary in the Sistine Chapel.
Still very attached to the first practice, the Loose It offers several points of interest, above all, but not only, because it is influenced by Flemish music, as it is modelled on some themes taken from the motet “In illo tempore” by Nicholas Gombert from which it takes its name.
Federico Maria Sardelli e Just the old way propose, within their concert for the Monteverdi Festival 2024, an intelligent juxtaposition of this monument of Monteverdi’s production with other Strait in which the importance of the word clearly prevails over music and in the composition of which the great Cremonese felt more free. Everything is interspersed with two splendid ones sonata by Dario Castello, an author who was so fundamental in the creation of this kind of composition.
An extremely varied evening, therefore, which offers the audience present in the Church of San Marcellino a true glimpse of the musical and cultural ferment that marked Venetian and more generally Italian production of that period.
Talking about Federico Maria Sardelli and his attention to historical performance practices is more than useless. Although his attention was perhaps directed more frequently towards the operatic production of Vivaldi, of whose rediscovery and rebirth he was a fundamental architect, his approach to Monteverdi’s dictation also appears philological and wide-ranging.
The composure of the Modo Antiquo ensemble is exemplary and stands out for its rigor, perfect blend and executive coherence.
Within the singing group he stands out above all others Roberta Invernizzi for the fluidity of the variations and agility, as well as for the power of the mezzo.
At the end, the audience confirmed the success of the evening with a round of applause.
The review refers to the concert of June 22, 2024.
Simone Manfredini
