RossitheInnovator

In the same year as the premiere of Monteverdi’s opera, Rossi published the first of four collections of instrumental music that would set a new precedent for pieces in trio texture - two treble instruments and a harmonised bass line Years later, having composed a large number of secular songs and madrigals as was fashionable throughout Europe, Rossi published another groundbreaking volume: Ha-shirim asher li-Shlomo or The Songs of Solomon (a pun on his name and The Song of Solomon). In it he set psalms and other sacred Hebrew texts to music in a contemporary style, something that had never been done before.

WhyNow?

Exactly 400 years ago, this novel experiment in cultural synthesis is a key moment in our shared history that deserves celebration. Alongside selections of Rossi's instrumental music, our programmes will pair sacred and secular vocal pieces with settings of the same texts by other 17th-century composers in their own vernaculars, including Heinrich Schütz, William Byrd, and Claudio Monteverdi. It will be a celebration not just of the communicative and political power of language, but also of Rossi set deservedly in the company of the famed composers of his time.

Two cutting-edge, contemporary videos, making Rossi's music accessible & relatable. Starring magnetic BirdGang Ltd dancers. Released online in July 2023. Supporters' première & drinks in Mayfair on

Tuesday11July