In the early 1600s, Venice was the cultural capital of the world, boasting the likes of the artist Tintoretto, the architect Longhena, buildings such as the impressive St Mark’s Basilica, the famous Carnevale festival, as well as celebrated composers and musicians. It is no wonder, therefore, that the city had a lasting impact on the German composer Heinrich Schütz. He spent two extended periods in Venice; the first, studying under Giovanni Gabrieli from 1609 to 1612, and the second, meeting and studying with the great Claudio Monteverdi in 1628. This greatly influenced Schütz’s music as he absorbed and combined the ornate, florid and theatrical Venetian compositional techniques with the more understated Lutheran tradition, resulting in a wonderfully unique musical style.
Commemorating the 350th anniversary since Schütz's death, The Brook Street Band and tenor David de Winter explore his solo vocal works and bring to life the brilliant virtuosic Venetian music of the time which heavily influenced the German master's musical language.