1612, Italian Vespers
At first look the depth of detail gone into the research and presentation of this recording feels like it should be for vocal enthusiasts only. However I found that, although the liner notes were extremely interesting, you didn’t need to understand how this recording came about to appreciate the beauty of each work. The title of recording comes from the death of Giovanni Gabrieli in 1612 and the publication in the same year of a little known set of Vespers by Lodovico Grossi da Viadana. Using scraps of knowledge and scores, Robert Hollingworth the I Fagiolini have recreated the Second Vespers of the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, which is in commemoration f the Battle of Lepanto, 1571. There is nothing else quite like this recording.