Rovetta: Messe pour la naissance de Louis XIV (Live)

Featuring

Benjamin Chénier
Galilei Consort
Giovanni Gabrieli
Giovanni Rovetta
Giovanni Antonio Rigatti
Claudio Monteverdi

Giovanni Bassano

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Composition History

Giovanni Rovetta was specifically chosen to compose the music for the celebration of Louis XIV's birth in Venice, with instructions to engage as many musicians as possible to create the most majestic music.

Historical Context

In 1638, the French Ambassador Amelot de la Houssaye organized a four-day celebration in Venice for the newly-born Dauphin, Louis XIV, featuring a procession of sixty gondolas and a Mass.

Composition History

This album evokes a religious service celebrating the birth of Louis XIV, the 'miraculous child' born after 23 years of his parents' marriage.

Performer Biography

Benjamin Chénier, the director of Galilei Consort, founded the ensemble to express a particular idea of humanism in music, focusing on 17th-century Italian practices.

Interpretation

The Galilei Consort, directed by Benjamin Chénier, is dedicated to restoring 17th-century Italian performance practices, advocating a return to the Ancient Greek conception of music where text meaning and emotional 'affects' are emphasized.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Giovanni Rovetta, in his dedication to Louis XIII, expressed his desire to immortalize his obligation and make his name known in France through these sacred musical works.

Composer Biography

Giovanni Rovetta, the main composer on this album, was a pupil of Claudio Monteverdi and served the San Marco Cappella in Venice for 54 years as an instrumentalist, singer, deputy maestro, and finally maestro di cappella.