Rinaldo Alessandrini, Concerto Italiano - Luca Marenzio: Madrigali (2001)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 318 Mb | Total time: 73:41 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Opus 111/Naïve | # OP 30245 | Recorded: 2000
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 318 Mb | Total time: 73:41 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Opus 111/Naïve | # OP 30245 | Recorded: 2000
If you want a good idea of why Luca Marenzio (1553-99) was considered madrigalist during the late-16th century, the music and performances on this fine recording will provide a good starting place. The richly colorful vocal writing–and equally colorful texts!–are ideally illustrated by the tightly focused intonation, reedy timbre, and knowing inflections of the Concerto Italiano’s seven singers. Sampling from Marenzio’s five- and six-part madrigals, the ensemble avoids any temptation to over-state the music’s case with exaggerated accents or heavy-handed phrasing and dynamics (a common fault of less-competent groups). Instead, they trust the composer’s keen sense of text-setting and allow expressive effects to arise naturally from the score.