For The Glory Of God

This is a double cd of the complete 1610 publication of Monteverdi's Vespers, including the six part Magnificat and Missa In Illo Tempore. The performers are the Choir of the King's Consort and the King's Consort conducted by Robert King with solid solo contributions from sopranos Carolyn Sampson and Rebecca Outram, tenor James Gilchrist and bass Peter Harvey among others. This was also the final disk released by the King's Consort under Robert King before his spectacular fall from grace in the court case which I will not go into again here. Regardless of how you might feel about that, the performance here is very fine and the performing edition put together by King makes sense. Monteverdi's pieces are a sacred bridge between the madrigals and fledgling operas, with elements of both in them but nevertheless being clearly devoted to the glory of God in the magnificent sound that they make. Native Italian choirs have recently been reclaiming Monteverdi and releasing what may be more earthy and idiomatic versions with more grit to both the singing and playing but the English choir and players here make perfectly valid alternative points with an undeniable beauty of sound. These are works that are perfectly able to take a variety of interpretations.