Monteverdi's surprise

My brows furrowed in consternation. ‘What is this?’ I wondered. From far below the solid and, dare I say, slightly stolid intonation of plainchant carried upwards to my seat. ‘It can’t possibly be Monteverdi.’ I was sitting in the rausing circle (or stingy seats as I prefer) at the Royal Albert Hall for the Proms. And having listened to Monteverdi’s Vespers many hundreds of times, I knew each section like the back of my hand. Easily one of my favourite pieces of music, its endless variety has delighted me for years. But I had never heard it with the plainchant antiphons before each movement. I later discovered that Monteverdi had originally intended it so. But once the tenor sang,  the trumpet-like Deus in Adiutorium I knew it was my favourite piece. I cannot emphasise how incredible this music is. For everyone out there who reads these words, if you have not listened to the Vespers of 1610 then I urge you to do so. I personally prefer Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s 1990 recording. If there is one thing you need to do before you die it’s this. No other composer can match Monteverdi for his ingenuity and the sheer gorgeousness he created.