In 1610, some 28 years after he had last composed anything for the church, Monteverdi quietly published what is now celebrated as one of the greatest pillars of the sacred Baroque repertoire. The Vespers of the Blessed Virgin is conceived on such a monumental scale, with such heartrending dramatic and theatrical effects, that it has been described as the greatest opera he never wrote. For the group’s first appearance at the Rheingau Musik Festival, Dunedin Consort presents this astonishing 90-minute masterpiece in an intimate performance comprising just twelve solo singers and fourteen instrumentalists – bringing you closer to the music than ever before.