^{FIRST PUBLISHED 16 MAY 2026}

In this filmed live performance, the NDR Vocal Ensemble and the Vox Werdensis Ensemble join forces under the baton of principal conductor Klaas Stok to perform Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, colloquially known as the 1610 Vespers. Hamburg-based Ensemble Schirokko accompanies on historical instruments.

Published in Venice in 1610 during Monteverdi’s service at the Gonzaga court in Mantua, and dedicated to Pope Paul V, Monteverdi’s Vespers reflects the composer’s position between Renaissance and Baroque aesthetics. Regarded as the calling card that helped Monteverdi secure his position as maestro di cappella at St Mark's Basilica in 1613, this large-scale collection combines traditional polyphonic writing rooted in cantus-firmus practice with newer concertato and recitative-influenced styles associated with early opera. The juxtaposition of prima and seconda pratica lies at the centre of the work’s originality. Alongside the psalms, hymn and Magnificat, Monteverdi inserted five concerto-style movements for various voices, whose liturgical function remains debated: some scholars view the publication as a coherent Marian Vespers, while others regard it as a carefully assembled portfolio, demonstrating the composer’s stylistic range.

Filmed at the Marktkirche, Hannover on 14 June 2023, directed by Michael Valentin.

PERFORMERS

Ensemble Schirokko
Rachel Harris konzertmeister
Ensemble Vox Werdensis (dir. Stefan Klöckner)
NDR Vokalensemble
Klaas Stok conductor

PROGRAMME
Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers for the Blessed Virgin), SV 206
I. Ingressus: Deus in adiutorium
Gregorian Antiphon: In odorem
II. Psalm 109: Dixit Dominus
III. Concerto: Nigra sum | Keunhyung Lee tenor
Gregorian Antiphon: Jam hiems transiit
IV. Psalm 112: Laudate pueri à 8
V. Concerto: Pulchra es | Catherina Witting & Elisa Rabanus sopranos
Gregorian Antiphon: Beata Mater
VI. Psalm 121: Laetatus sum à 6
VII. Concerto: Duo Seraphim | Keunhyung Lee, Heejun Kang & Christian Georg tenor
Gregorian Antiphon: Regali ex progenie
VIII. Psalm 126: Nisi Dominus à 10
IX. Concerto: Audi coelum | Christian Georg tenor & David Czismár baritone
Gregorian Antiphon: Nigra sum
X. Psalm 147: Lauda Jerusalem à 7
XI. Sonata sopra: Sancta Maria à 9
Capitulum: Ecce virgo
XII. Hymnus: Ave maris stella
Versicle: Sancta Maria
Gregorian Antiphon: Ave Maria, gratia plena
XIII. Magnificat
Magnificat anima mea
Et exultavit | Christian Georg tenor & David Czismár baritone
Quia respexit
Quia fecit mihi magna | David Czismár & Andreas Heinemeyer baritone
Et misericordia | Alexandra Hebart & Ina Jaks altos
Fecit potentiam
Deposuit potentes
Esurientes
Suscepit Israel | Catherina Witting & Elisa Rabanus sopranos
Sicut locutus est
Gloria patri | Christian Georg tenor & David Czismár baritone
Sicut erat in principio
Ritus conclusionis