Digital Programmes
L'Arpeggiata/Christina Pluhar: Monteverdi's Vespers
Start time: 7.30pm
Approximate running time: 105 mins with no interval
Please note all timings are approximate and subject to change
This performance is subject to government guidelines
Alexandra Coghlan sheds some light on the inception of Monteverdi’s iconic Vespers, performed tonight by Christina Pluhar and her audacious ensemble L’Arpeggiata.
‘To perform it is to court disaster. To write about it is to alienate some of one’s best friends. Even to avoid joining in the controversy is to find oneself accused of (i) cowardice, or (ii) snobbishness, or (iii) sitting on the fence, or (iv) all three…’
What single piece of music could possibly prompt the kind of divisive passions described here by musicologist Denis Arnold? The perhaps unexpected answer is Monteverdi’s Vespers – a ‘musicological Lorelei’ that has confounded scholars and provoked performers for over 400 years.
We know the Vespers was first printed in Venice in 1610 – a facsimile of that score is readily available. But, despite a direct paper-trail, the work remains mysterious, a source of questions to which any performance must supply an answer. When was it composed? For what purpose and occasion? Was it ever performed and, if so, where and in what form? Finally – and most significantly – is it, in fact, a unified work at all?
To start the process of untangling these is to travel not to Venice – the city that was home Monteverdi’s triumphant final decades – but to Mantua’s Gonzaga Court. The ambitious young musician who considered himself ‘fortunate’ to enter the Duke’s service in 1591 was scarcely recognisable as the composer creating ‘…an a cappella Mass for six voices…together with psalms for Vespers of the Madonna’ in 1608.
Aged just 43, Monteverdi was a broken man. The death of his wife had left him alone, ‘seriously ill’ from overwork and the Mantuan climate, struggling to support his two young sons. Pleas for dismissal were ignored, and Monteverdi was forced to continue in the Duke’s demanding service.
It seems an unlikely time for the composition of a large-scale sacred work. Some argue that it was created for the magnificent festivities surrounding the marriage of the Duke’s son to Margherita of Savoy in May 1608. Others have argued for the Vespers as a musical portfolio to advertise to the visiting Pope Paul V (the work’s dedicatee) in hopes of a Vatican job. That both theories persist speaks to the ambiguity of a work that seems designed to serve many functions – at once a compendium and a single work, an advertisement and a functional collection of sacred music.
Vespers – the daily Catholic evening service – follows a set form. Five psalms (each preceded by an antiphon), a hymn and a Magnificat are the key elements. Monteverdi sets each of these (twice, in the case of the Magnificat), but also includes additional elements, including four ‘sacred concertos’ and an instrumental sonata.
One interesting detail of the Vespers is its emphasis – on the title-page, no less – on the work’s historical elements. The psalms and Magnificat settings may have been composed separately over time, but all are united by their structure. Each takes plainchant as its basis, treating it as a cantus firmus – a slow-moving central melody – around which Monteverdi weaves intricate strands of counterpoint in both instruments and voices.
The effect is strikingly varied from piece to piece, but retains the same spirit of collision: music at the threshold of ancient and modern. This is a composer who wishes to be admired for his invention, but also his respect and understanding of musical history. Add to this the sheer potential opulence of the settings – scored for up to 10 vocal parts, with cornettos and sackbuts as well as organ and strings – and you have a showcase well suited not only to the splendour of the Vatican, but perhaps even more to the gilded galleries of St Mark’s Venice.
Like that building, whose vast scale eclipses all at first glance, the details of Monteverdi’s Vespers can easily get lost in sheer sonic scale. But once ears adjust, there’s much to notice. Has the supplication ‘O Lord, make haste to help me’ ever sounded more arresting than it does here in music adapted from the opening Toccata of Monteverdi’s opera L’Orfeo, fizzing instrumental ritornelli breaking up the solid blocks of chant, cornetto and violin soaring high above?
The next musical peak arrives in motet Nigra Sum. The sensual Song of Solomon text is set for solo voice and accompaniment, exploiting all the expressive freedom of the new operatic style. In contrast, psalm-setting Nisi Dominus is thickly scored for two five-voice choirs who pass verses back and forth, imitation intensifying towards an emotional and rhythmic climax.
The instrumental 'Sonata sopra Sancta Maria' puts instrumental virtuosity in the spotlight, weaving a shifting texture over continuo in a set of variations on three motifs. In and out of this drift soprano voices singing the short phrases of a plainchant litany to the Virgin.
Finally, the Magnificat: a fusion of old and new more audacious than any we’ve heard so far. A plainchant cantus firmus runs through each of the movements, its slow-moving notes a harmonic core for a kaleidoscope of mood and invention that takes us from the penitential gloom of the lower-voices ‘Et misericordia’, through a shadowy vision of the Holy Spirit in the echoing et Spiritui Sancto of the ‘Gloria patri’ to arrive at the blazing final dance of an Amen – music truly, as Monteverdi himself described it, ‘…suited to the chapels or chamber of princes’.
© Alexandra Coghlan
Start time: 7.30pm
Approximate running time: 105 mins with no interval
Please note all timings are approximate and subject to change
This performance is subject to government guidelines
Programme and performers
Claudio Monteverdi Vespro della beata Vergine
1. Deus in adiutorium
2. Dixit Dominus
3. Nigra sum
4. Laudate pueri
5. Pulchra es
6. Laetatus sum
7. Duo Seraphim
8. Nisi Dominus
9. Audi coelum
10. Lauda Ierusalem
11. Sonata sopra Sancta Maria
12. Ave maris stella
13. Magnificat. Magnificat
14. Magnificat. Et exultavit
15. Magnificat. Quia respexit
16. Magnificat. Quia fecit mihi magna
17. Magnificat. Et misericordia eius
18. Magnificat. Fecit potentiam
19. Magnificat. Deposuit potentes de sede
20. Magnificat. Esurientes implevit bonis
21. Magnificat. Suscepit Israel
22. Magnificat. Sicut locutus est
23. Magnificat. Gloria patri et filio
24. Magnificat. Sicut erat in principio
Chorus
Céline Scheen soprano
Giuseppina Bridelli mezzo-soprano
Benedetta Mazzucato contralto
Vincenzo Capezzuto alto
Jan van Elsacker alto/tenor
Nicholas Mulroy tenor
Joshua Ellicott tenor
Dingle Yandell bass-baritone
Hubert Claessens bass-baritone
Greg Skidmore bass
L’Arpeggiata
Jorge Jimenez baroque violin
Jesus Merino Ruiz baroque violin
Anna Nowak baroque alto
Rodney Prada viola da gamba
Diana Vinagre baroque cello
Doron Sherwin cornetto
Gawain Glenton cornetto
Laura Agut trombone
Emily White trombone
Guy Morley trombone
Josep Maria Marti Duran theorbo
Daniel Espasa organ
Christina Pluhar artistic & musical direction
Translations
Deus in adiutorium meum intende.
Domine ad adiuvandum me festina.
Gloria Patri, et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Alleluja.
O God, make speed to save me.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Allelujah.
Dixit Dominus Domino meo:
sede a dextris meis, donec ponam inimicos tuos,
scabellum pedum tuorum.
Virgam virtutis tuae emittet Dominus ex Sion:
dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum.
Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae;
in splendoribus sanctorum:
ex utero ante luciferum genui te.
Iuravit Dominus et non penitebit eum;
tu es sacerdos in aeternum
secundum ordinem Melchisedech.
Dominus a dextris tuis confregit
in die irae suae reges.
Iudicabit in nationibus,
implebit ruinas:
conquassabit capita in terra multorum.
De torrente in via bibet:
propterea exaltabit caput.
Gloria Patri, et Filio,
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
The Lord said unto my Lord:
sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies
thy footstool.
The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Sion:
rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Thine is the foundation in the day of thy power;
in the beauties of holiness I have born thee
from the womb before the morning star.
The Lord hath sworn and will not repent;
thou art a priest for ever
after the order of Melchisedech.
The Lord at thy right hand has broken
kings in the day of his anger.
He will judge the nations,
he will fill them with ruins:
he will break the heads in the populous land.
He shall drink of the torrent on the way;
therefore he shall lift up his head.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Nigra sum sed formosa filiae Ierusalem.
Ideo dilexit me Rex, et introduxit me
in cubiculum suum et dixit mihi:
Surge, amica mea, et veni.
lam hiems transiit, imber abiit et recessit,
flores apparuerunt in terra nostra;
tempus putationis advenit.
I am a black but beautiful daughter of Jerusalem.
So the King loved me, and led me
into his bedroom and said to me:
Arise, my love, and come away.
Now winter has passed, the rain has gone
and flowers have appeared in our land;
the time of pruning has come.
Laudate pueri Dominum:
laudate nomen Domini.
Sit nomen Domini benedictum,
ex hoc nunc, et usque in saeculum.
A solis ortu usque ad occasum,
laudabile nomen Domini.
Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus,
et super caelos gloria eius.
Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster,
qui in altis habitat et humilia
respicit in caelo et in terra,
suscitans a terra inopem
et de stercore erigens pauperem,
ut collocet eum cum principibus,
cum principibus populi sui?
Qui habitare facit sterilem in domo,
matrem filiorum laetantem.
Gloria Patri et Filio
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Praise the Lord, ye children,
praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
from this time forth for evermore.
From sunrise to sunset,
the Lord’s name is worthy of praise.
The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
who dwells on high and looks down on
the humble things in heaven and earth,
raising the helpless from the earth
and lifting the poor man from the dungheap,
to place him alongside princes,
with the princes of his people?
He makes a home for the barren woman,
a joyful mother of children.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Pulchra es, amica mea,
suavis et decora filia Ierusalem.
Pulchra es, amica mea,
suavis et decora sicut Ierusalem,
terribilis sicut castrorum acies ordinata.
Averte oculos tuos a me,
quia ipsi me avolare fecerunt.
You are beautiful, my love,
sweet and comely daughter of Jerusalem.
You are beautiful, my love,
sweet and comely as Jerusalem,
terrible as the sharp lines of a military camp.
Turn your eyes from me,
because they have put me to flight.
Laetutus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi:
n domum Domini ibimus.
Stantes erant pedes nostri
in atriis tuis Ierusalem.
Ierusalem, quae aedificatur ut civitas
cuius participatio eius in idipsum.
Illuc enim ascederunt tribus,
tribus Domini, testimonium Israel
ad confitendum nomini Domini.
Quia illic sederunt sedes in iudicio,
sedes super domum David.
Rogate quae ad pacem sunt Ierusalem
et abundantia diligentibus te.
Fiat pax in virtute tua
et abundantia in turribus tuis.
Propter fratres meos et proximos meos
loquebar pacem de te.
Propter domum Domini Dei nostri
quaesivi bona tibi.
Gloria Patri et Filio
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
I was glad when they said unto me:
we shall go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet were standing
within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, which is built as a city
that is compact together.
For thither ascended the tribes,
the tribes of the Lord, to testify unto Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For there sat the seats of judgement,
the seats over the house of David.
O pray for the peace of Jerusalem
and may prosperity attend those who love thee.
Peace be within thy strength,
nd prosperity within thy towers.
For my brothers’ and my neighbours’ sake,
I will ask for peace for thee;
for the sake of the house of the Lord our God
I have sought blessings for thee.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Duo Seraphim clamabant alter ad alterum:
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth:
plena est omnis terra gloria eius.
Tres sunt qui testimonium dant in coelo:
Pater, Verbum et Spiritus Sanctus;
et hi tres unum sunt.
Two Seraphim were calling one to the other:
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Hosts:
the whole earth is full of his glory.
There are three who give testimony in heaven:
the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit:
and these three are one.
Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum,
in vanum laboraverunt qui aedificant eam.
Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem,
frustra vigilat qui custodit eam.
Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere:
surgite postquam sederitis,
qui manducatis panem doloris.
Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum;
ecce hereditas Domini, filii:
merces, fructus ventris.
Sicut sagittae in manu potentis:
ita filii excussorum.
Beatus vir qui implevit
desiderium suum ex ipsis:
non confundetur cum loquetur inimicis suis in porta.
Gloria Patri et Filio
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Except the Lord build the house,
they have laboured in vain that build it.
Except the Lord keep the city,
the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is vain for you to rise before dawn:
to rise when you have sat down,
ye who eat the bread of sorrow.
When he has given sleep to those he loves,
behold, children are an inheritance of the Lord,
a reward, the fruit of the womb.
As arrows in the hand of the mighty,
so are children of the vigorous.
Blessed is the man who has fulfilled
his longing by them:
he shall not be perplexed
when he speaks to his enemies at the gate.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Audi, coelum, audi verba mea plena
desiderio et perfusa gaudio.
Dic, quaeso, mihi: Quae est ista
quae consurgens ut aurora rutilat,
ut benedicam?
Dic nam ista pulchra ut luna,
electa ut sol, replet lætitia
terras, coelos, maria.
Maria virgo illa dulcis praedicta de
propheta Ezekiel, porta orientalis?
Illa sacra et felix porta per
quam mors fuit expulsa
introducta autem vita?
Quae semper tutum est medium
inter homines et Deum
pro culpis remedium?
Omnes hanc ergo sequamur qua cum
gratia mereamur vitam æternam.
Consequamur.
Praestet nobis Deus, Pater hoc et Filius
et Mater cujus nomen invocamus dulce
miseris solamen.
Benedicta es, virgo Maria,
in saeculorum saecula.
Hear, O heaven, hear my words full
of longing and pervaded by joy.
Tell me, I pray, who is she
that shines like the dawn in her rising,
that I might bless her?
Tell me, for she, beauteous as the moon,
radiant as the sun, fills with joy the earth,
heavens and seas.
Mary, that sweet virgin foretold by the prophet
Ezekiel, the gateway to the East?
That sacred and happy portal through
which death was driven out
and life brought in?
She who is always a sure intermediary
between men and God,
the cure for our sins?
Let us all therefore follow her through
whose grace we may be granted eternal life.
Let us go with her.
May God help us, God the Father, and the Son,
and the Mother on whose sweet name we call
as a comfort to the wretched.
Thou art blessed, virgin Mary,
for ever and ever.
Lauda, Jerusalem, Dominum:
lauda Deum tuum, Sion.
Quoniam confortavit seras portarum tuarum:
benedixit filiis tuis in te.
Qui posuit fines tuos pacem:
et adipe frumenti satiat te.
Qui emittit eloquium suum terræ:
velociter currit sermo ejus.
Qui dat nivem sicut lanam:
nebulam sicut cinerem spargit.
Mittit crystallum suam sicut buccellas:
ante faciem frigoris ejus quis sustinebit?
Emittet verbum suum, et liquefaciet ea:
flabit spiritus ejus, et fluent aquæ.
Qui nnunciate verbum suum Jacob:
justitias et judicia sua Isræl.
Non fecit taliter omni nationi:
et judicia sua non manifestavit eis.
Gloria Patri et Filio
et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,
et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem;
praise thy God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of thy gates;
he has blessed thy children within thee.
He makespeace in thy borders,
and fills thee with the finest wheat.
He sends his commandment to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He casteth forth his ice like morsels;
before his cold who can stand?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
his spirit blows, and the waters flow.
He shows his word to Jacob,
his statutes and judgements to Israel.
He has not dealt so with any nation;
and his judgments he has not made manifest.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
without end. Amen.
Ave maris stella,
Dei Mater alma
Atque semper Virgo
Felix coeli porta.
Sumens illud Ave
Gabrielis ore,
Funda nos in pace,
Mutans Evae nomen.
Solve vincla reis,
Profer lumen cæcis,
Mala nostra pelle,
Bona cuncta posce.
Monstra te esse matrem,
Sumat per te preces,
Qui pro nobis natus,
Tulit esse tuus.
Virgo singularis,
Inter omnes mitis,
Nos culpis solutos,
Mites fac et castos.
Vitam præsta puram,
Iter para tutum,
Ut videntes Jesum
Semper collaetemur.
Sit laus Deo Patri,
Summo Christo decus,
Spiritui Sancto
Trinus honor unus. Amen.
Hail, star of the sea,
bountiful mother of God
and ever Virgin,
happy gate of heaven.
Taking that Ave
from the mouth of Gabriel,
preserve us in peace,
giving Eve a new name.
Loose the chains of the bound,
bring light to the blind,
drive out our ills,
invoke all things good.
Show thyself to be a mother,
may he who was born for us
receive our prayers
through thee.
Singular virgin,
more gentle than all,
absolve us from sin and
make us gentle and pure.
Grant us a pure life,
prepare a safe way,
that in seeing Jesus
we may rejoice for ever.
Praise be to God the Father,
glory to Christ on high,
and with the Holy Spirit
one triple honour. Amen.
Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Magnificat anima mea Dominum:
et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo.
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae: ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est: et sanctum nomen ejus.
Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo: dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis: et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae.
Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semini ejus in saecula.
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my saviour.
For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud of heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the lowly.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath sustained Israel his servant, remembering his mercy.
As he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, without end. Amen.
Artist biographies
Founded in 2000, L’Arpeggiata is an ensemble directed by Christina Pluhar. Its members are today’s finest soloists and in addition they work in collaboration with the most exceptional singers from the Baroque and the traditional music worlds.
The bases of L’Arpeggiata are instrumental improvisations, a different approach to singing centred on the development of vocal interpretation influenced by traditional music, and the creation and staging of attractive shows.
Since its foundation L’Arpeggiata has had an incredible response from the audience as well as from the critics: They have received outstanding reviews for their albums and concerts. Their album first album La Villanella dedicated to the music of Girolamo Kapsberger has been considered ‘Event of the month’ by Repertoire des disques in September 2001 and has been awarded with the Premio Internationale del disco per la musica italiana. Their second CD Homo fugit velut umbra devoted to Stefano Landi was ’10 de Repertoire’, ‘Diapason Découverte’, BBC's ‘CD of the Week’, ‘CD of the Month’ by Amadeus (Italy) and Prix Exellentia by Pizzicato (Luxemburg). La Tarantella, which proposes an encounter between baroque and traditional musicians, has been ’10 de Repertoire’, ‘CD of the Week’ by France Musique and ‘CD of the Month’ by Toccata (Germany). All’Improvviso, their third disc, was rewarded with 'Timbre de platine' of Opéra international, CD of the month by BBC Magazine, and their last CD, the Rapressentazione di Anima et di Corpo by Emilio de’ Cavalieri has won the prize of the academy 'Charles Cros'. Their album Los Impossibles (2010) stars the King’s Singers as well as the Flamenco guitarist Pepe Habichuela.
Their album Teatro d’amore (2009) included the singers Philippe Jaroussky and Nuria Rial and as well as their album Via crucis together the vocal ensemble from Corsica 'Barbara Furtuna’. In 2011 their version of the Vespro della beata vergine appeared on CD. Their album Los Pájaros perdidos (2012) is devoted to traditional and baroque music of Latin America and Mediterraneo (2013) included the Fado-singer Misia.
Winner in 2009, 2010 and 2011 of the Echo Klassik Preis in Germany, the Edison's price in Holland in 2009, the VSCD Musiekprijs in 2008, Arpeggiata has consistently been praised for its recording with rewards as the Cannes Classical Awards, Platinum of International Opera Magazine, CD of the Month of the BBC Magazine, amongst many others.
L’Arpeggiata has performed with great succes in festivals and concert halls around the world such in Lufthansa Festival London, Oude Muziek Utrecht, Festival de Pontoise, Printemps des Arts de Nantes, Theatre de Poissy, Theatre de Bordeaux, Rencontres de Vezelay, Festival Musique Sacree de Fribourg, Pfingstfestspiele Melk, Flagey à Bruxelles, Festival de St Michel-en-Thierache, Festival de Sablé-sur-Sarthe, Brugge Musica Antica, Musikverein Graz, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Sydney and in the Carnegie Hall in New York, among many others.
While Christina Pluhar established a highly successful career as a multi-faceted instrumentalist in early music and Baroque repertory, she has come to be identified in the 21st century as the founder and music director of the vocal/instrumental ensemble L’Arpeggiata. Not surprisingly, Pluhar leads this group in similar repertory, but with a focus on Italian fare and with the infusion of jazz and folk elements. Pluhar has mastered several different though similar instruments: Baroque guitar, Renaissance lute, archlute, theorbo, and Baroque harp. She has appeared in performance playing them, both as soloist and continuo player, throughout Europe, the U.K., and Australia and with many famous early music ensembles such as and has appeared both as soloist and with L’Arpeggiata on numerous recordings for such labels as Alpha Productions, EMI, and Naïve.
Christina Pluhar was born in Graz, Austria. She studied lute at the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague. Further studies with Hopkinson Smith at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland, and Mara Galassi at the Scuola Civica di Milano.
Pluhar moved to Paris in 1992 and began performing regularly with various ensembles and baroque orchestras in Europe. From 1993, she conducted master classes at Graz University, and from 1999 has served as professor of Baroque harp at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.
Throughout the 1990s Pluhar steadily built her performance career and in 2000 founded L’Arpeggiata. Based in Paris, the ensemble, consisting of about ten members, performs on original instruments, despite its jazz and folk additions.
Pluhar chose some of the finest artists in Europe as members, including Baroque guitarist Marcello Vitale, and cornettist Doron David Sherwin. She led L’Arpeggiata virtually to overnight success with its first CD, La Villanella (a collection of Giovanni Kapsberger vocal works), issued to great acclaim the year it was founded.
From 2007, Pluhar has led L’Arpeggiata in joint concerts with such ensembles as the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, The King’s Singers or the Corsican vocal ensemble Barbara Furtuna. Concerts in Sydney that year and a return appearance in 2010 were highly praised affairs. Among Pluhar’s more acclaimed recordings are the albums La Tarantella, All’Improvviso (with Gianluigi Trovesi), Los Impossibles (with the King’s Singers), as well as the Virgin Classics CDs Teatro d’amore (with Philippe Jaroussky and Nuria Rial), Via Crucis (with Barbara Furtuna), Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, Los Pájaros perdidos (the South American Project) or Mediterraneo (with the Fado Singer Misia).
In 2012, L’Arpeggiata was the first baroque ensemble to be granted an artistic residence at Carnegie Hall.