Washington National Cathedral

With virtuoso violinist, brass, winds, strings, organ, and choir. The resonant reaches of Washington National Cathedral provide a magnificent venue for the timeless masterpiece—Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, published in Venice in 1610. Monteverdi, a master of both old and avant-garde style, composed a work both retrospective and startlingly new—the grand Psalm settings are meditations on the age-old Gregorian chants, and the “sacred songs” are Monteverdi’s bold introduction of the latest theatrical style to liturgical music. Unlike most modern performances of the Vespers, the Folger Consort’s period version, without conductor, features one-on-a-part virtuoso instrumentalists and ten vocal soloists who also serve as the choir.