Monteverdi: Selva morale e spirituale

Featuring

Pablo Heras-Casado
Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble
Balthasar-Neumann-Chor
Claudio Monteverdi

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Performer Biography

The Balthasar Neumann Choir was named one of the world's 'greatest choirs' by Gramophone magazine in 2011.

Composition History

Monteverdi's "Selva morale e spirituale" is a monumental anthology of liturgical and paraliturgical music, published in 1640 after a nearly twenty-year publishing silence.

Composer Biography

Claudio Monteverdi moved to Venice in 1613 to direct the Cappella di San Marco, finding greater creative freedom and recognition after two decades serving Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua.

Performer Biography

The Balthasar Neumann Ensemble, named after the Baroque architect, was described as 'quite simply sensational' by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

Compositional Technique

The collection includes pieces in the Venetian tradition of 'cori spezzati' (composition for multiple choirs) and solo motets influenced by the nascent genre of opera.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The "Selva morale e spirituale" is considered Monteverdi's 'spiritual testament' and 'musical manifesto,' synthesizing diverse aspects of his art, including both 'stile antico' and 'stile moderno' works.