The Vespro della Beata Vergine, more usually known as the Vespers, is widely acknowledged to be one of the most impressive ‘calling cards’ in musical history. Dissatisfied with his work at the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga in Mantua, Monteverdi travelled to Rome in 1610 for an audience with Pope Paul V, possibly seeking a bursary for his son. He took with him his own newly-published Mass (Missa in illo tempore), dedicated to the pope; in the same volume was a setting of the main movements of the Vespers together with an additional setting of the Magnificat, an opening Toccata adapted from his earlier opera, Orfeo, and five ‘sacred concertos’ for various voices.