La Compagnia Del Madrigale

The only surviving version of Carlo Gesualdo’s First Book of Madrigals was printed in Spring 1594 by the typographer Vincenzo Baldini. At the time, the composer was twenty-eight years old and had just left behind the murder of his wife, in 1590. In this first publication Gesualdo probably collected pieces composed earlier than 1591. The music is written by a young author, far away from the better-known experimental composer of later years, yet is clear and faultless, and often very effective.

With "Lagrime d'amante" La Compagnia del Madrigale turns again to the music of Claudio Monteverdi. This new Glossa publication faithfully conveys the beauty of the ensemble's vocal blend in a selection of five-part compositions, originating from Monteverdi in Cremona, Mantua and Venice, but focusing on the cornerstone of his art, the Sixth Book.

With ‘Vieni, dolce Imeneo’, La Compagnia del Madrigale make another important stop on their compelling journey across the territory of Italian secular song with a disc devoted to one of the most significant, yet these days somewhat bypassed, composers: Cipriano de Rore.