"A first-rate mix of solo and ensemble voices." The Telegraph ★★★★★ Serial award-winners in a Baroque blockbuster Winner of: 5 Gramophone Awards 10 Diapasons d’Or 2 Diapason d’Or de l’année 2 Deutscher Schallplattenpreis 9 Choc de la Musique Claudio Monteverdi composed his Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers for the Blessed Virgin) in 1610 to demonstrate his mastery of voices and instruments. Blending baroque operatic theatricality with the hallowed traditions of sacred music, the Vespers are a soaring, sublime evocation of heavenly power and the glory of 17th century Venice. Rinaldo Alessandrini and the Concerto Italiano are universally acclaimed among today’s leading Monteverdi interpreters. Serial winners of the early music world’s highest honours for performances of Monteverdi’s work, their recordings have become benchmark references. The Vespers is rarely heard in its entirety; its intricate harmonies and virtuoso solo parts posing a monumental test for even the greatest ensembles. Monteverdi’s music surpassed all that had gone before; his standing in the history of composition is often compared to that of Shakespeare in literature. As the world celebrates the 450th anniversary of Monteverdi’s birth, Hong Kong audiences can look forward to a definitive performance of his greatest work.