This is a reconstruction of a festive Vespers service as it might have been performed in San Marco, Venice, in 1643, with a sequence of pieces by composers such as Banchieri, Rigatti, Cavalli, Grandi and the great Monteverdi.

Performed and recorded in that very church, in the playing styles and on instruments that 17th-century Venetians would all recognise, it is a wonderful opportunity to put yourself back in the shoes of a music lover of over 350 years ago.

Born in London in 1960, Paul McCreesh is widely regarded as one of the most exciting artists in the field of early music. He has done extensive research into music of the 17th-century and is also an accomplished cellist. While a student at Manchester University he formed a chamber choir and a period-instrument ensemble, which in 1982 evolved into the Gabrieli Consort and Players.

Since then, conductor and group have gained an international reputation for their performances of Renaissance and Baroque music. Besides performing established masterpieces by Monteverdi, Purcell, Schütz, Handel and Bach, the ensemble often presents little-known repertoire, and is particularly noted for the spectacular reconstruction of major musical events from the 16th and 17th centuries.