Vespers. The word conjures an intoxicating aura of twilight and incense. Liturgically, it’s an opportunity for Christians to sanctify the day’s end as the sun is setting, but its roots are deeper, stretching back to first-century Judaism. Its name, from the Greek Hesperus, hints at darker pagan origins. This semi-staged concert located Vespers as it might have been heard in Vivaldi’s Venice, within the broader and more ancient cultures of the Mediterranean.