Sorrows, Prayers

Available for 28 days

Kate Molleson explores Monteverdi’s final decades, as Venice becomes a centre for public opera in the aftermath of war and plague. It’s a period of renewal and experimentation, from the theatrical intensity of Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda to the large-scale operas of his later years. With the opening of Venice’s first public opera house, Monteverdi adapts his style, writing music that responds to changing audiences and expectations. Chiome d’oro, bel tesoro Nuria Rial, soprano L’Arpeggiata Christina Pluhar, director Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda (extract) Catherine Bott, soprano (Clorinda) John Mark Ainsley, tenor (Testo/narrator) Andrew King, tenor (Tancredi) New London Consort Philip Pickett, director Pianto della Madonna Alena Dantcheva, soprano Odhecaton Paolo Da Col, director Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria – Prologue and Act I scene 1 Dominique Visse – L’Umana Fragilità (countertenor) Michael Schopper – Tempo (bass) Lorraine Hunt Lieberson – Fortuna (mezzo-soprano) Martina Bovet – Amore (soprano) Bernarda Fink – Penelope (mezzo-soprano) Jocelyne Taillon – Ericlea (contralto) Concerto Vocale, René Jacobs, director L’incoronazione di Poppea – Pur ti miro Nuria Rial, soprano (Poppea) Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor (Nerone) L’Arpeggiata Christina Pluhar, director Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales and West