Beatus Vir by Claudio Monteverdi
I (re-)discovered Monteverdi's great 'Beatus vir' from the Selva Morale when I was following breadcrumbs concerning the wonderful soprano Perrine Devillers, who was featured in this past week's madrigal project, Luzzasco Luzzaschi's 'Aura soave'. A number of you wrote to me about that piece and about her specifically, so (this being [believe it or not] a halcyon period for at least some things, including this kind of lead-chasing) I searched her name on YouTube and there at the top of the list was this wonderful live performance of the 'Beatus'! Zowie! You'll love it!
Many of you will recall performing this piece--both Bach Choir and Circa 1600 have done it over the years. It's in four parts: An opening section with a fabulous ritornello over a ground bass; a smooth, slinky triple-time passage; a (shortened) recapitulation of the opening section; and a rousing, glistening doxology, replete with shouts of 'Gloria! Gloria!' traded across the stage and one of Monteverdi's sui generis endings, cosmic and incredibly satisfying.
All done live in a great space, and it's so much fun to watch. The video reminds me so vividly of the magic of live music-making, a leaning-in of individual beings to create a cooperative single unit in pursuit of a single worthy goal. So beautiful!
I am attaching a score, a text-translation sheet, and a different audio recording, also excellent.
A little later on I will no doubt be humming riffs from this piece as I'm climbing around in the attic!
I (re-)discovered Monteverdi's great 'Beatus vir' from the Selva Morale when I was following breadcrumbs concerning the wonderful soprano Perrine Devillers, who was featured in this past week's madrigal project, Luzzasco Luzzaschi's 'Aura soave'. A number of you wrote to me about that piece and about her specifically, so (this being [believe it or not] a halcyon period for at least some things, including this kind of lead-chasing) I searched her name on YouTube and there at the top of the list was this wonderful live performance of the 'Beatus'! Zowie! You'll love it!
Many of you will recall performing this piece--both Bach Choir and Circa 1600 have done it over the years. It's in four parts: An opening section with a fabulous ritornello over a ground bass; a smooth, slinky triple-time passage; a (shortened) recapitulation of the opening section; and a rousing, glistening doxology, replete with shouts of 'Gloria! Gloria!' traded across the stage and one of Monteverdi's sui generis endings, cosmic and incredibly satisfying.
All done live in a great space, and it's so much fun to watch. The video reminds me so vividly of the magic of live music-making, a leaning-in of individual beings to create a cooperative single unit in pursuit of a single worthy goal. So beautiful!
I am attaching a score, a text-translation sheet, and a different audio recording, also excellent.
A little later on I will no doubt be humming riffs from this piece as I'm climbing around in the attic!