Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was an Italian composer whose work stands at the threshold between the Renaissance and the Baroque. Born in Cremona, he served in Mantua and later became maestro di cappella at St Mark’s in Venice.

His works include madrigals, sacred music and operas, among them L’Orfeo, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria and L’incoronazione di Poppea. The Vespro della Beata Vergine is one of the great sacred works of the early seventeenth century.

Monteverdi’s music combines expressive text setting, dramatic urgency and a bold sense of harmony. He helped transform music into a new language of theatre and emotion.

Few composers sit so clearly at a historical turning point. Monteverdi did not simply cross from one age to another; he built the bridge while singing on it.