- Simon-Pierre Bestion, La Tempête: “Vespro” (Alpha)
- Raphaël Pichon, Pygmalion, et. al.: “Monteverdi: ‘Vespro della Beata Vergine’” (Harmonia Mundi)
- Magdalena Kožená, Czech Philharmonic, Simon Rattle: “Folk Songs” (Pentatone)
- Asmik Grigorian, Matthias Goerne, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mikko Franck: “Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14” (Alpha)
“Vespro” & “Vespro della Beata Vergine”
It’s rare that a new recording of a repertoire staple becomes a catalyst for a real-life version of the math lady meme, but Raphaël Pichon is exactly the sort of conductor you’d willingly follow down a rabbit hole. Given the relative recency of the Monteverdi revival, it’s also surprising how many recordings of the composer’s “Vespro della Beata Vergine” there are to wade through. John Eliot Gardiner’s 1994 recording with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra treats the setting of the Marian Vespers as one of the composer’s lost operas, performing the opening with stately splendor. In a period instrument recording, Harry Christophers and the Sixteen sound a bit more ramshackle; Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort reach a similar period effect under a dome of choral sound; Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata play drastically with rhythm for moments that alternate between stymying and stunning; Seraphic Fire under Patrick Dupré Quigley reach ASMR-levels of vocal cohesion and blending, but at the expense of an almost nonexistent orchestra.