The Full Monteverdi

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“La Bouchardière’s concept finds its ideal realisation in film. Brilliant.”

Gerhard Persché, Fono Forum, Sternes des Monats (Star of the month) March 2008

TRIPLE 5 STAR REVIEW

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“This brilliant film… is superbly acted, beautifully sung

…almost unbearably moving. Bravos all round.”

Recommended, Gramophone April 2008

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“The eye cannot tear itself away from these admirably constructed images and subtle glances… The tour de force of this film is to have given a dramatic coherence and dramatic tension to twenty madrigals, surely the most unlikely cinematic material. The universal theme of separation is ripe for a contemporary reading but it takes La Bouchardière’s talent, leaning towards cinéma vérité, the typically British standard of I Fagiolini’s acting and the musicianship of the whole team to convince and captivate.”

Philippe Venturini Le Monde de la musique, Choc du mois March 2008

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“…the film’s raw impact comes from its unflinching exposure of the effects on flawed, vulnerable human beings of these devastating emotional rifts… I Fagiolini’s performances are peerless.”

Graeme Kay Choir & Organ, March 2008

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“This brilliant film… sung with consummate artistry… The passion in the music is tellingly matched by the suffering on the faces of the characters. The film demands to be seen; but I won’t be visiting that restaurant in a hurry.”

Richard Lawrence Classic FM Magazine, March 2008

5 STAR REVIEW

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“a brilliant film… a searing dramatisation of the 17th-century Italian’s madrigals.”

Richard Morrison The Times, 01 Dec 2007

Click here for the full article on York Early Music Festival

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“…this is a fascinating and well-produced lesson in cross-genre art.”

HD MUSO, Dec 2007

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“After an hour, the pun in the title was vindicated: this was a raw, emotional striptease… the camera can follow the acrimonious lovers into bedrooms and bathrooms and there is a terrible truthfulness to its documentation of their misery.”

Peter Conrad The Observer, Nov 2007

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“Bouchardière’s verité-style direction, reminiscent of Kieslowski in its bold opening silence and unrelenting in emotional delivery, has the makings of an award winner”

Andrew Stewart Early Music Review, Nov 2007

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“This remarkable, intricately constructed film is aesthetically beautiful in every aspect: masterfully shot, sensitively arranged images, utterly glorious singing, impressive operatic acting, and a terrifyingly involving narrative flow. This encounter between yesterday’s music and today’s medium can’t help but deliver Monteverdi’s masterpieces to a new and deeply appreciative audience in a thoroughly spectacular fashion.”

Edward Lewis Classical Source, Oct 2007

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“…the film “The Full Monteverdi” based on the staggeringly inventive collaboration between opera director John La Bouchardiere and the vocal group I Fagiolini. I know that I was not alone in pleading for I Fagiolini’s live performance to be filmed while the original cast could be assembled, and the result is very impressive, although very different in mood from the vivid personal experience of the live event. The film follows the same structure as the live show, with six couples experiencing a range of highly emotional encounters, but places them in more homely settings, following them back from the opening restaurant setting to their homes and, occasionally, the homes of their other lovers. The tricky job now is to ensure that this important film is made available on a mainstream TV channel at a sensible time of day.”

Andre Benson-Wilson Early Music Review, Dec 07

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“Outstanding directing”

Michael Bordt Klassisk (Germany)

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