New Deutsche Grammophon album release today: Monteverdi CD of La Cetra Barockorchester & La Cetra Vokalensemble Basel

Today, on 28 October 2022, Deutsche Grammophon releases a stunning new recording of Claudio Monteverdi's Vespro di Natale with La Cetra Barockorchester & La Cetra Vokalensemble Basel and Musical Director Andrea Marcon. This festive reconstruction of the Christmas Vespers at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice combines joyful singing and colorful orchestration to create the perfect Baroque Christmas experience.
The German magazine OPER says: "Without being able to imitate the unique spatial effect of San Marco, the recording made in the Museo Caterina in Treviso successfully conveys the impression of a large church hall, in which Marcon and his colleagues have found their way to illustrative music-making between ceremonial seriousness and lively verve. The orchestra, lushly scored with winds and strings in keeping with historical tradition, prepares a darkly rich-sounding ground for the stylistically well-trained singers, who soar to virtuosic as well as tasteful improvisations, on which they can stand out radiantly. With expert care, all the elements are put together here, and the same is true of the short organ interludes by Giovanni Gabrieli, Monteverdi's predecessor at St. Mark's, intoned by Johannes Keller."
And the Süddeutsche Zeitung lists the album on Christmas among their 'Weekly Favorites': "The La Cetra Barockorchester Basel conducted by Marcon knows its craft and conjures up a sound firework of colours and artfully entangled melodic progressions [...]. As for the singing, the modern mixed choir of the Vokalensemble Basel is more convincing than many a soloistic individual voice, but the overwhelming magnificence of this music in its glorious progression is not held back even by the tenor."

Don't miss this musical work of art - you can listen to the album here and pre-order it now.