for SSA unaccompanied. This motet in two parts is devotional in character, with each section opening with homophonic writing before elaborating on close imitative polyphonic lines. The motet demonstrates a mature writing style that would be expected of a composer years beyond the age of the young Monteverdi. The text is based on the first two stanzas of a prayer attributed to Pope Gregory I that contemplates the Passion of Our Lord. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

Live performance of choreographer Christian Spuck's ballet with film and dialogue, recorded in 2013 at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart under the direction of Nikolai Vialkowitsch. The ballet portrays the marriage of Roman Emperor Nero and Poppea Sabina, who manipulated her way to the title of Empress. The production is performed by Gauthier Dance and includes music by, among others, Claudio Monteverdi, Martin Donner, Robert Schumann, Emiliana Torrini and Cat Power.

This edition is designed to meet the needs of both the scholar and the performer. It contains the complete music of all fourteen compositions as in Monteverdi's original print, plus the psalm 'Lauda Jerusalem' and the two Magnificats in a choice of pitches. Also provided are a continuo realization, notes on performance, Gregorian antiphons for the feasts of the Virgin, and examples of typical early seventeenth-century embellishments. Complete performing material is available on hire, and a Critical Commentary is available for sale from the OUP Hire Library.

Suitable for SSATTBB (choir and/or soli) with strings and continuo and optional trombones.

for SSATTB and orchestra Orchestral material is available on hire

This, the fullest edition of Monteverdi's letters yet to appear in any language, makes every known letter available in English translation. The 127 letters date from the last forty-two years of Monteverdi's career, giving an unrivalled picture of the life of a busy composer working Mantua, Venice, and Parma at one of the most exciting and crucial periods in the history of music. The span of the letters (1601-43) coincides with the early flowering of Italian opera and other dramatic entertainments, and Monteverdi has a great deal to say about his patrons, librettists, instrumentalist and singers. There are continual references to his music, the style of its performance, and to its ornamentation and orchestration. Besides correcting the numerous errors of transcription in previous editions, Professor Stevens has taken special care in his translations to be faithful to the rhythms and the arched symmetry of Moteverdi's prose. Additional biographical and historical material is incorporated into the extensive commentaries which introduce each letter. In this new, fully revised edition, certain changes and revisions affecting letters and commentaries have been made in the light of newly published information books, articles, and reviews, and through private communications. Additional letters and support material are included, and the bibliography has been updated. Professor Stevens also introduces new material covering in some detail the events of Monteverdi's early years in Cremona and Mantua, insofar as they were influenced by his family, his studies, travels, friends and patrons.

Ole Anders Tandberg's visually striking debut production for Norwegian National Opera. Recorded live in 2010, Birgitte Christensen, Jacek Laszczkowski and Tim Mead head an international cast, with Allesandro De Marchi conducting.

Performance which tells the story of Orpheus, the artist and prophet of Greek mythology. The piece blends hip hop and breakdance choreography by Dominique Hervieu and José Montalvo with modern and classical music from composers such as Tchaikovsky, Monteverdi, Gluck and Glass.

Ole Anders Tandberg's visually striking debut production for Norwegian National Opera. Recorded live in 2010, Birgitte Christensen, Jacek Laszczkowski and Tim Mead head an international cast, with Allesandro De Marchi conducting.

Three peformances of Monteverdi's opera 'L'incoronazione di Poppea'. In the first peformance, Ole Anders Tandberg directs his debut production for Norwegian National Opera. Recorded live in 2010, Birgitte Christensen, Jacek Laszczkowski and Tim Mead head an international cast, with Allesandro De Marchi conducting. In the second performance director Michael Hampe provides a modern interpretation of Monteverdi's opera, recorded live at the Schwetzinger Festspiele in 1993. The performers include Patricia Schumann, Richard Croft, Kathleen Kuhlmann and Harry Peeters. René Jacobs conducts the original-sound ensemble, Concerto Köln. The third and final performance is of choreographer Christian Spuck's ballet with film and dialogue, recorded in 2013 at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart under the direction of Nikolai Vialkowitsch. The production is performed by Gauthier Dance and includes music by, among others, Monteverdi, Martin Donner, Robert Schumann, Emiliana Torrini and Cat Power.

Performance which tells the story of Orpheus, the artist and prophet of Greek mythology. The piece blends hip hop and breakdance choreography by Dominique Hervieu and José Montalvo with modern and classical music from composers such as Tchaikovsky, Monteverdi, Gluck and Glass.