The Cleveland-based baroque orchestra Apollo's Fire, together with founder / conductor Jeannette Sorrell, launched on Avie in July 2010 with a double release featuring discs of Mozart and J.S. Bach. They follow with their tribute to the 400^th anniversary year of Monteverdi's seminal Vespers of the Blessed Virgin, released in anticipation of the group's seven-city tour in October 2010 performing this work, culminating with a concert in New York City. Vespers has been a signature piece for Apollo's Fire for over ten years, and it's fitting for Sorrell and her vibrant band - already well-known through their extensive national touring and NPR broadcasts - to bring this magnificent masterwork to wider audiences through this recording.