Baroque Venice was a musical powerhouse, where Monteverdi created choral music of unimagined splendour amid the glittering surroundings of St Mark’s. But over in Rome Benevoli and Carissimi were giving the Venetians a run for their money – turning Biblical stories into heart-rending sonic dramas, and using multiple choirs to set Michelangelo’s recently finished basilica of St Peter’s ringing with vibrant, soul-shaking song. I Fagiolini is a virtuoso chamber choir without limits, never happier than when singing the impossible and the larger-than-life. Today they travel back to that extraordinary age, and we get to travel with them!

This concert marks the release of I Fagiolini’s second album in its highly praised series of Benevoli Four Choir Masses. Missa Benevola is released on 4 October 2024.

“Benevoli’s Mass is remarkable… awash in gloriousness… both subtle and shocking… Like Italian sunshine… musical magic” Gramophone

“… evocative word painting, ‘angelic’ vocal lines and rhythmic vitality and variety… The work engulfs the senses just as it must have done in Benevoli’s day in the echoing spaces of St Peter’s.” BBC Music Magazine, Recording of the Month

This concert lasts approximately 75 minutes with no interval.