Vespro della Beata Vergine / Vesper

In 1732, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi composed a setting of the Vespers in honor of St. Emidius, Naples’s patron saint and protector against earthquakes. All that has survived are the introit Domine ad adjuvandum and three psalm settings: Dixit Dominus, Laudate, and Confitebor. Malcolm Bruno’s reconstruction consists of Pergolesi’s Hymnus, Magnificat, several short instrumental interpolations, and the contrafactum of a secular cantata for the Salve Regina, thereby presenting a full cross-section of Pergolesi’s artistic evolution. The reconstructed Vespers ranges from the early Confitebor, with its allusions to Vivaldi, to the late Salve Regina with its reminiscences of the famous Stabat Mater; from contrapuntal choral writing to operatic arias; and from the magnificently scored Dixit to the almost intimate Laudate. The present edition follows the original sources as closely as possible and contains an appendix with detailed notes on performance practice.