The best recordings of Monteverdi
We bring you four of the finest examples of the work of Claudio Monteverdi on disc
Published:
L’Orfeo
Ian Bostridge etc; Le Concert d’Astrée/Emmanuelle Haïm
Virgin 948 2532
Characterful instrumental playing, with Bostridge as close as anyone to the ‘speaking in song’ of the time.
1610 Vespers
Taverner Consort & Players/Andrew Parrott
Virgin 561 6622
A classic recording, with full liturgical reconstruction and phenomenally good choral and consort tuning.
Fourth Book of Madrigals
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
Naïve OP30502
A virtuosic account of this great a capella book.
Flaming Heart – secular choral works
I Fagiolini/Robert Hollingworth
Chandos CHAN0730
An excellent introduction, with madrigals drawn from several books.
Authors
Freya Parr is BBC Music Magazine's Digital Editor and Staff Writer. She has also written for titles including the Guardian, Circus Journal, Frankie and Suitcase Magazine, and runs The Noiseletter, a fortnightly arts and culture publication. Freya's main areas of interest and research lie in 20th-century and contemporary music.
