Italian Choir performance tonight 8pm

Ab Oriente will perform romantic chorale works by Claudio Monteverdi & Orazio Vecchi, through a selection of madrigals from Monteverdi’s Fourth & Fifth Book of Madrigals, published in 1603, and excerpts from Vecchi’s most famous work, the madrigal comedy L’Amfiparnaso, first performed in 1597.

At the turn of the 17th century, the Italian Madrigal became not just individual settings of Italian verse but had evolved into works within an encompassing dramatic theme, usually on the universal topic of Love. The technique of word-painting and late-16th century chromaticism were further enhanced with the use of ornamentation to convey heightened emotions. The Early Baroque Italian Madrigal marked the zenith of the genre, after which the dramatic form evolved into and was replaced by opera.

Ab Oriente is also pleased to welcome guest harpsichordist Chong Ten Yeen who will explore Girolamo Frescobaldi’s contribution to keyboard music in the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods.

Venue:
The Auditorium
Singapore Art Museum
71 Bras Basah Road
Singapore 189555
Thursday & Friday, 13 & 14 September 2007, 8:00 p.m.