“Vespro della Beata Vergine da concerto composta sopra canti firmi” (“Vespers of the Blessed Virgin composed to be performed over cantus firmi”) is the title found in a part book of Monteverdi’s vespers composed in 1610, which he dedicated to Pope Paul V for the Sunday of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Into the church-music mix of traditional and then new compositional techniques Monteverdi inserted four “concerti” between the psalms in a then avant-garde, monodically concertante style intended to emphasise the importance of the Holy Mother in the Catholic faith. They stand out like a monophonic Song of Songs amid the polyphony of psalm and Magnificat instrumentations, which occasionally featured up to 13 parts and, at times, two choirs.

Rinaldo Alessandrini assumes that Monteverdi’s vespers developed from the vocal style of his madrigals (of which there were already six volumes available at that time). Concerto Italiano will perform the work with all parts played by one instrument each, thus realising the concertante style most splendidly. The emphasis on the lyrics is accommodated by the fact that the vocal ensemble delivers a perfect pronunciation of Church Latin, which has an Italian tinge to it. But more important than the details concerning the performance practice is the sounding praise of love and veneration of the Mother of God.