For those unaware, Record label Acis presents the Baroque masterwork, Vespers of 1610 by towering genius of the Renaissance and Baroque, Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643).

Conductor Matthew Robertson and professional choir and orchestra THE THIRTEEN ― “transfigures the listener,” (The Washington Post) ― collaborated on this historically informed project with early music specialists Dark Horse Consort, the award-winning Children’s Chorus of Washington, and GRAMMY ® -nominated producer, Geoffrey Silver.

The first American recording of its kind in over a decade, this double album brings together over 40 performers for Robertson’s interpretation of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. The structure includes monastic chants sung by children’s chorus, full choir and solo textures, and fully-orchestrated movements that would have been heard in the Basilica San Marco in Venice.

Specialist early modern brass ensemble Dark Horse Consort (named after the bronze sculptures at St. Mark’s) and its families of cornettos, sackbuts, and recorders adds a vivid authenticity and warmth to the performance.

Disc One: (53:43)
1. Deus, in audjutorium 2. Antiphon: Dum esset rex in accubitu suo 3. Dixit Dominus 4. Nigra sum et formosa - Michele Kennedy 5. Antiphon: Laeva eius sub capite meo 6. Laudate, pueri, Dominum 7. Pulchra es, amica mea - Molly Quinn, Katelyn Jackson 8. Antiphon: Nigra sum et formosa 9. Laetatus sum 10. Duo Seraphim - Aaron Sheehan, Steven Soph, Oliver Mercer 11. Antiphon: Iam hiems transit 12. Nisi Dominus 13. Audi coelum verba mea - Oliver Mercer, Aaron Sheehan

Disc Two: (39:48)
1. Antiphon: Speciosa facta es 2. Lauda, Jerusalem 3. Sonata sopra sancta Maria 4. Hymn: Ave maris stella - Michele Kennedy, Katelyn Jackson, Edmund Milly 5. Antiphon: Sancta Maria succurre miseris

Magnificat
6. I. Magnificat anima mea Dominum 7. II. Et exultavit 8. III. Quia respexit 9. IV. Qui fecit 10. V. Et misericordia 11. VI. Fecit potentiam 12. VII. Deposuit potentes 13. VIII. Esurientes implevit bonis 14. IX. Suscepit Israel 15. X. Sicut locutus est 16. XI. Gloria Patri 17. XII. Sicut erat in principio

Recorded at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America Washington, DC, USA on October 24-25, 2022 , this dutifully assured new recording opens on the strident Deus, in audjutorium, the choir-hued Antiphon: Dum esset rex in accubitu suo, the emboldened Dixit Dominus, the quietly dulcet Nigra sum et formosa (Michele Kennedy), the angelic Antiphon: Laeva eius sub capite meo, the enriched Laudate, pueri, Dominum, the melodic Pulchra es, amica mea (Molly Quinn, Katelyn Jackson), and then come the choir-hued Antiphon: Nigra sum et formosa, the gently sprightful Laetatus sum, the impassioned Duo Seraphim (Aaron Sheehan, Steven Soph, Oliver Mercer), the disc closing on the breathtaking Antiphon: Iam hiems transit, the compulsive Nisi Dominus, and the delicately ornate Audi coelum verba mea (Oliver Mercer, Aaron Sheehan).

The second disc opens on the choir-heightened Antiphon: Speciosa facta es and the formidable Lauda, Jerusalem and they are backed by the swirls and twirls that drive Sonata sopra sancta Maria, the more cultured Hymn: Ave maris stella (Michele Kennedy, Katelyn Jackson, Edmund Milly), and the simply heavenly Antiphon: Sancta Maria succurre miseris, the remainder of the disc featuring the resplendent Magnificat (the canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary): the aching, yet short but sweet Magnificat anima mea Dominum, the harmonious Et exultavit, the forthright Quia respexit, the stoically-charged Qui fecit and the melodically-dashing Et misericordia.

The work, along with the collection, that rounds out on the formidablely regal Fecit potentiam and the compulsive elegance of Deposuit potentes, which are in turn backed seamlessly by the stoically-sculpted Esurientes implevit bonis, the flourishing Suscepit Israel, the dancefloor majesticness of Sicut locutus est, closing on the operatically-hued Gloria Patri and the all-embracing Sicut erat in principio.

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