Monteverdi's Vespers

The centrepiece of this year's Sound of Wells Festival is Monteverdi's landmark work of the sacred choral repertoire. The Monteverdi String Band joins forces with long-term friends and colleagues, the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble for a unique performance of Monteverdi's iconic Vespers.

The Wells Cathedral Chamber Choir, conducted by Carolyn Craig, is joined by musicians from Wells Cathedral School – one of a select group of specialist music schools in the UK. Musicians from MSB and ECSE are working with students from the school on instrumental canzonas, and they will play alongside the professionals throughout the performance.

Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 is truly a landmark work of the sacred choral repertoire – a monumental fusion of Renaissance polyphony and Baroque expression, radiant with drama, devotion, and virtuosity. Plainsong underpins the entire work and is the ancient foundation upon which the then-strikingly-modern Monteverdi builds.

Funds raised from this performance will support the Friends of Wells Cathedral Grand Organ Appeal. Net proceeds will be applied by Wells Cathedral to the Grand Organ Project.