It was 5 stars from me for I Fagiolini’s Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers in the same venue almost exactly three years ago. So barring disasters, this was always going to be another outstanding evening. Spoiler alert: it was! If I could add a further star, I would. Tonight they brought their four-concert residency here to a close in spectacular style, also a fitting celebration of their 40th year.
The function of Monteverdi’s iconic work is not entirely clear, as is whether it was ever fully performed in his lifetime. The original publication comprised a Mass, the Psalms, Hymns and two Magnificat for a Vespers service, as well as four sacred songs. Was the variety of styles and scorings Monterverdi’s attempt to impress Rome? If so, he wasn’t offered a post there, instead becoming maestro di Capella at St Mark’s in Venice three years later. It seems possible that the work might have been performed there at least. There are lots of decisions to be made when performing this – liturgical order, pitch, the relationships between duple and triple rhythms – and as Robert Hollingworth said, some of these choices will partly boil down to taste, but the proof is also in the performing. Tonight’s performance consistently convinced, even the considerably slower tempi for the triple time section in Laudate pueri, for example, otherwise often taken at a sudden frenetic speed.
Kings Place may not immediately conjure up the grandeur of somewhere like St Mark’s, but Hollingworth and his gang made effective use of the space, with the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble up in one corner of the gallery, the strings led by Kinga Ujazászi in the other, with chitarrones, harp, dulcian, organ and the singers mostly on the stage. Later on, instrumentalists were flung to the rear of the auditorium, as was an echoing baritone for Audi coelum. Further echo effects were achieved with singers or instrumentalists turned sideways or into the corners. Moves between positions were swift and unfussy, with Hollingworth himself not above a stint as stagehand, all in service of their effortlessly polished performances throughout.
Tenor Nicholas Mulroy was the stand out star of proceedings, his Nigra sum, with Aileen Henry’s beautiful harp accompaniment, a masterclass of controlled virtuosity. And Duo Seraphim, his duet then trio with fellow tenors Matthew Long and Hugo Hymnas, was equally impressive, the singers matching their stuttered ornamentations with effortless accuracy. Baritone Greg Skidmore also deserves mention for his characterful and authoritative delivery of Audi coelum, as do Amy Wood and Clara Hendrick for their florid yet delicate Pulcra es amica mea.
Hollingworth reminded us in a brief introduction that their one-to-a-part approach is not a quirk, but most probably as it was intended, rather than the fuller choral approaches we are more familiar with. And it was this bright and more soloistic approach that made for such a consistent flow of interest and variety, whilst their ability to come together as one in the fuller choral sections produced a truly electric energy.
The cornetts rippled, the sackbuts glowed, the strings provided bright and nimble energy. Hollingworth’s guidance was clear and unfussy, with shifts from fours to threes tightly executed. His lightness of touch yet authoritative beat allowed singers and instrumentalists the space to perform with individuality within a coherent common shape. With a new recording recently released, it is clear the performers are all inside this music, and their evident joy in performing it communicated to their audience.
