This highly anticipated recording of Monteverdi"s Vespro della Beata Vergine is a new construction by Rinaldo Alessandrini. Alessandrini is one of the world"s foremost Monteverdi authorities, and an all-around expert on Baroque music. His 2003 recording of Vivaldi"s Vespers garnered a Gramophone Award in 2004. Monteverdi is one of our most important composers, having essentially built the bridge from the Renaissance period to the Baroque. He faced both criticism and fame in his time, as he broke tradition and rule to achieve musical goals that would eventually become the standard.