A date for your diary…

Accompanied by His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, Banbury Choral Society will be performing Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 in the stunning acoustics of St Mary’s Church, Banbury.

This music is a groundbreaking sacred work blending old and new styles, incorporating liturgical texts with secular-sounding concertos and instrumental pieces. Monteverdi’s work features grand Venetian polychoral effects alongside intimate solos, built around fixed song plainchant melodies, and showcasing immense instrumental variety, creating a dazzling spectacle of devotional music that bridges the gap between Renaissance and Baroque eras.

The choir will be conducted by their Musical Director, Jonathan Kingston.

Image: ‘The Virgin and an Angel with the Crown of Thorns & the three Marys at the Sepulchre’ by Carlo Maratta (1700)