In April we went to St John’s church in Silverdale to listen to the Marian Consort perform. For the second concert of 2025 organised by Silverdale Renaissance, we were excited to learn that the performers would be I Fagiolini. We love the idea that we can enjoy these world-class musicians in a church in the village of Silverdale (population 1,500) and I Fagiolini didn’t disappoint.
After battling our way through Storm Amy’s wind and horizontal rain, we were rewarded with a programme focused on the works of Monteverdi - specifically his madrigals from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. I Fagiolini is made up of six vocalists: two sopranos, a mezzo-soprano, a tenor, a baritone and a bass. The director is Robert Hollingworth who also played a very gentle organ accompaniment for some of the madrigals. The group was also joined by Gawain Glenton on Italian cornetto for one of the pieces.
Robert Hollingworth entertained us between the songs with mini music theory lessons as he explained why Monteverdi was regarded as modern and radical in his time, as Europe’s Renaissance gave way to the Baroque.
As we expected, a fabulous evening’s entertainment.