On 1 and 2 September, Schola Cantorum in collaboration with the Chamber Choir Lucente (Munich/Germany) and the SU Camerata on period instruments conducted by Martin Berger, bring Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers to the Endler Hall.

This glorious Venetian masterpiece that bridged Renaissance and Baroque styles, is considered the grandest piece of religious music before Bach. Monteverdi can be thought of as a revolutionary, living at the end of one style period, and almost singlehandedly forging a new one through sheer force of will. He used the tools of the Renaissance, but created a new and intensely emotional form of expression, which we call Baroque.

The Vespers (“evening prayers”) is a 90-minute piece for orchestra, chamber choir and vocal soloists, composed around Biblical texts — primarily the sensual love poetry from the Songs of Solomon. For these performances, solists include local and international singers: Caroline Nkwe, Lente Louw, Ulrike Malotta, Georg Poplutz, Christian Rathgeber and Felix Rathgeber.

These concerts are presented with the kind support of the GOETHE Institute, ProCoroAfrika Foundation, and ASK Afrika.

The performances takes place on Saturday 1 September at 8pm and on Sunday 2 September at 4:30pm in the Endler Hall, Stellenbosch.

Tickets for R140 (regular) and R100 (students and pensioners) are available now through Computicket and at the door. For more information contact Fiona Grayer at concerts@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2358.