Prom 22: Monteverdi's Vespers

Live at BBC Proms: French baroque ensemble Pygmalion under director Raphaël Pichon perform Monteverdi Vespers of 1610.

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
Presented by Clemency Burton-Hill

Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610

Giuseppina Bridelli, mezzo-soprano
Eva Zaïcik, mezzo-soprano
Emiliano Gonzalez‐Toro, tenor
Magnus Staveland, tenor
Virgile Ancely, bass
Renaud Bres, bass
Geoffroy Buffière, bass
Ensemble Pygmalion
Raphaël Pichon, director

Before there was Bach's Mass in B minor or Beethoven's Missa solemnis there was Monteverdi's Vespers, a choral masterpiece of unprecedented musical scope and audacious beauty. The work's textural extremes, multiple choirs and sonic effects are brought to life in a performance marking the 450th anniversary of the composer's birth.
Award-winning French Baroque ensemble Pygmalion makes its Proms debut under its director Raphaël Pichon, together with an exciting line-up of young soloists.