After the enjoyment expressed by so many singers at our Spem in Alium workshop last Autumn, we very much hope you will look forward to exploring another glorious work with us.

Claudio Monteverdi is rightly regarded as the first titan of large-scale choral music. His Vespro della Beata Vergine, published in 1610 and better known as the Vespers, is universally popular. This extraordinary masterpiece of the early Baroque – at once intimate and grand, peaceful and dramatic, exalted and sensual – gives us a tantalising array of textures and sounds in its brilliant and exuberant choruses.

To lead this workshop we’re delighted to be joined by Paul McCreesh, founder and artistic director of Gabrieli Consort and Players, and world-class specialist in this repertoire. His 2006 recording of the Vespers was described by BBC Music Magazine as “glorious and compelling”.

Do join us in the wonderful acoustic of our ‘home’ church, St Peter’s Hammersmith, to unravel one of the greatest of all sacred works. It promises to be another unmissable Petros Singers’ event!



Timetable
Registration is from 1:30pm. The workshop will run from 2:00–6:00pm with a break for tea-time refreshments, which are included in the ticket price. Please bring a reusable cup if you can, and also your own bottle of water.

From 5:30–6:00pm there will be an informal performance of the pieces we have worked through, which friends and family of workshop participants are warmly invited to attend.

Getting there
St Peter’s is less than 10 minutes’ walk from Ravenscourt Park and Stamford Brook underground stations (District line) or a 20-minute walk from Hammersmith (District, Piccadilly and Hammersmith & City lines). We advise checking with TfL in advance in case of any line works. There are also several buses that run between Hammersmith and Chiswick (Goldhawk Road stop), and some free street parking in the surrounding area.

Music and scores
We will be covering the following movements from the Vespers:
Deus in adiutorium meum intende
Dixit Dominus
Nisi Dominus
Laude Jerusalem
Ave Maris Stella
Sicut erat

A pdf of the score can be downloaded here. This can either be printed out at home or downloaded for use on a tablet. We strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with your part in advance, as this will help you get the most out of the workshop.

If you are unable to print out the PDF we can do this for you at a cost of £8. Your score will be available for collection at the workshop. Select ‘Buy printed score’ in the booking form below and the cost will be added to your ticket price. Please note that we will only provide printed scores on the day for those who have bought them in advance.

Voice parts
Please select your preferred voice part when booking your ticket. If you are booking more than one ticket, please give the name of the other singer(s) in the ‘add message’ box of the booking form. Whilst we hope to give everyone their preferred part, depending on numbers we may ask you to sing the other part in your chosen voice (e.g. a Sop 1 might have to sing Sop 2). We will advise you of this when we receive your booking.

Tickets
£35 | £25 (age 16 to 30)
All tickets must be booked in advance
Enquiries should be sent to tickets@petrossingers.org