May 15: Birthday of Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643).
He is, without question, one of my top five favorite composers. For many years Monteverdi was considered the composer of the earliest surviving opera — but Jacopo Peri's Euridice (1600) predates L'Orfeo by seven years. Orfeo still stands as the first work in the form to reach lasting artistic signi
He is, without question, one of my top five favorite composers.
For many years Monteverdi was considered the composer of the earliest surviving opera — but Jacopo Peri's Euridice (1600) predates L'Orfeo by seven years. Orfeo still stands as the first work in the form to reach lasting artistic significance.
The recording that shaped my sense of this music: Harnoncourt's 1968 account with Concentus Musicus Wien — the first complete, unabridged recording with original instruments. It is music wit