OPO In Rome: Monteverdi Vespers

OPO In Rome: Monteverdi Vespers

23 November 2026 | 21:00 | Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore

Monteverdi Il Vespro della Beata Vergine

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir
His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts
Marios Papadopoulos conductor

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 Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Marios Papadopoulos marshals this most majestic and timeless of sacred works.

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 Arte Sacra.

The XXV Festival is dedicated to WORLD PEACE, the 400th anniversary of the dedication of the Papal Basilica of St Peter in the Vatican, and the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.

Monday 23 November, 2026 – 21:00