Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I admit it, I love this performance. I have the CD and the video and both have been played to death. The DVD brings the extra versatility of that medium, such as the ability to go to any part of the performance quickly, or to Gardiner's interesting essay on the piece. My one minor quibble is that the red shifts in which the Monteverdi choir are decked out seem to glow; they do this on the video, and I was hoping that DVD would tame it. Alas, it seems to be a flaw in the filming.
The performance remains an absolute knockout, IMHO simply the best ever recorded. Followers of the devotional school, who go for Andrew Parrott's minimalist version, hate it and will stay away. Those who like the CD will absolutely adore this, with choir, soloists and instrumentalists making full use of San Marco's acoustics and odd nooks and crannies. The orchestra (the English Baroque Soloists, with 5 players from His Majesties Cornetts and Sagbutts) is quite small - it's amazing how so few players can make such a racket in such a big space. The stars of the show is the Monteverdi Choir itself (singing from memory, without scores), which is simply stunning. You'll never hear the big choral numbers such as "Nisi Dominus" and "Lauda Jerusalem" sung with such precision and excitement - they give me goosebumps on my goosebumps. And in the middle of it all is Gardiner, obviously having a ball. Three cheers for Archiv for bringing back this brilliant record of a unique event.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Monteverdi - Vespro Della Beata Vergine / Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir (1989)
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