Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) is one of the finest composers on the boundary between renaissance and baroque. His oeuvre brilliantly demonstrates the huge stylistic changes over this period.
Even in his early works he’s already a master of many genres. Characteristic of the new style is a much freer melody, more supple incorporation of consonants and dissonants, more emphasis on the expression of the texts by illuminating them in new ways and a different relationship between the genres.
Secular music set the tone for religious music. During the broadcast we’ll play examples of the old style (a Mass from 1610) and the new (an excerpt from his opera L’Orfeo). His madrigals and the Lamento d’Arianna are shining examples of the new expressive style. His religious music is sometimes traditional in the style of Palestrina and sometimes resembles the secular music of that period. His opera L’incoronazione di Poppea was a brilliant finale to his fascinating oeuvre.
1.Missa In illo tempore. La Chapelle Royale conducted by Philippe Herreweghe
2.L’Orfeo: Acte I. Choir orchestra and soloists conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt
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