In the Vespers of 1610 Claudio Monteverdi gives us a work which is one of the landmarks of western choral music. Fusing together sacred and secular texts, and using both traditional forms of plainchant and Renaissance polyphony – he was a master of the madrigal form – he creates something completely new for its time.

With an orchestra of period instruments, this is the first performance by HCS of this towering achievement of Renaissance music, and the earliest dated major work ever presented by the Society. The Baroque works often so closely associated with HCS – those of Handel and Bach for example – owe a huge debt to Monteverdi, whose genius ushered in a new era, and to this work in particular.

This performance draws on the whole family of HCS choirs, with participation from both the Youth Choirs and HCS Voices.