Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra - Monteverdi Vespers of 1610

Not many works change the course of musical history, but Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 did. This masterpiece straddled the fault-lines separating the austerity of the Renaissance and the dramatic theatricality of the Baroque. It is a grand collection of psalms, motets and sinfonias that can feel as emotional as opera and as eternal as plainsong, while drawing extensively on both. Positioning groups of voices and instruments around its performance space, Monteverdi’s piece provides an immersive musical experience and also a rare one, given its treacherous technical and interpretative challenges. In the galleries of the Sheldonian Theatre, and then in the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Marios Papadopoulos marshals this most majestic and timeless of sacred works. 

Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, SV 206  

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir  

His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts 

Marios Papadopoulos conductor 

The performance at the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore is part of the XXV Festival Internazionale di Musica e Arte Sacra organised by the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arta Sacra.  

Ticket Information

• General Admission: £58, £42, £32, £18
• Concessions: £5 tickets for students/under-18s in the Upper Galleries and £5 off any other price band, 50% off for Disabled/Carer tickets (phone only) 
• Suitable for ages 6+
• Doors 7pm
• Running time of 2 hours with interval halfway
• Latecomers permitted at appropriate pause in the music
• For ticketing queries, email boxoffice@oxfordphil.com or call 01865 980980