Nova Ars Candandi/Acciai - Giovanni Legrenzi: Compiete, Op. 7 - Prayers at the End of the Day

Giovanni Legrenzi�s eventual rise to fame can be measured by the fact that both Bach and Handel chose his melodies as themes for their contrapuntal elaborations. Many years earlier, however, as a young composer in Ferrara, Legrenzi wrote Compiete (�Compline� in English) which constitutes the final moment of prayer in the monastic or secular day. It is a work of dazzling beauty that shows a mature, conscious mastery of the most up-to-date compositional techniques of Legrenzi�s time in the �nuova musica�, and fully honours Monteverdi�s precedent in ensuring music serves the text in all its richness and variety.