MONTEVERDI

We will be joined by soloists of exceptional quality, and by an internationally-renowned group of period instrumentalists, including cornets and sackbuts. 17th Century Venice comes to 21st Century Wells!

SOMERSET CHAMBER CHOIR

with

CANZONA

(leader Theresa Caudle)

Natalie Clifton-Griffith, Elizabeth Cragg, Stephanie Allman, Mark Wilde, Joseph Cornwell, Nicholas Bowditch, Thomas Guthrie, Simon Birchall

CONDUCTOR

Graham Caldbeck

‘One of the finest examples of mixed professional and amateur performers in the country’ (Taunton Times - Aug 1999)

Tickets £7 to £23

Box office 01275 349010

Sponsored by Palmer Snell Chartered Surveyors

The SOMERSET CHAMBER CHOIR is one of the South West’s leading young choirs.

‘Over the years the Somerset Chamber Choir has firmly established itself as among the best.’

In the summer of 1997, Wells Cathedral resounded to the magnificent richness of 17th-century Venetian music by Gabrieli and Monteverdi in a concert entitled Voyages from Venice, an event described by the Somerset County Gazette as ‘uplifting and exhilarating’. This year the choir performs Monteverdi’s most extravagant and opulent work: his Vespers of 1610 (Vespro Della Beata Vergine).

Written while the composer was in the service of the notorious Gonzaga family in Mantua, Monteverdi published the Vespers in Venice as part of his eventually successful bid for the prestigious post of maestro di capella at the magnificent 11th-century Basilica of St. Mark’s. Scored for choir and a rich array of solo voices accompanied by an orchestra of cornetts, sackbuts, strings, recorders, dulcian, lutes, harpsichord and organ, Monteverdi’s masterpiece is unparalled in its scale, opulence and diversity. Between the spine-chilling opening cry of the solo tenor calling for God’s help and the imposing final Amen of the concluding Magnificat, lies an extraordinary compendium of sacred and secular texts, matched by music embracing every style of the period. Monteverdi clothes these varied texts from a rich wardrobe of colourful sonorities ranging from madrigalian motets and choral dances to flamboyant echo duets and extravagant trios for solo voices. From the vivid first choral entry, lit by accompanying fanfares from his opera Orfeo, Monteverdi signals his unequivocal intention of blazing a new trail in church music – creating sounds whose sheer verve and inventiveness still amaze us four centuries later.

Come to 21st-century Wells and transport yourselves to 17th-century Venice by experiencing an hour and a half of some of the most dramatic music ever written. No passport needed - just a ticket, a love of music and a vivid imagination!

Friends of the Choir have priority booking from 8 May. In addition, Mr & Mrs Tudway Quilter have kindly granted Friends and their guests exclusive access to their lovely garden, The Combe. Ask for details of the Friends Scheme when booking your tickets. Public booking opens on 1 June.

£23, £19, £15, £10 (nave reserved) £7 (side aisles unreserved)
Call 01275 349010
ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED