Gesualdo: Madrigals

Featuring

La Compagnia del Madrigale
La Chimera
Carlo Gesualdo

Did you know?

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Cultural Impact

Gesualdo's later works, specifically his Fifth and Sixth Books of Madrigals from 1611, with their visionary harmonies, would influence Igor Stravinsky three centuries later.

Critical Reception

During his lifetime, Carlo Gesualdo was widely recognized as an extraordinary composer, with critics comparing him to Dante for the gravity of his style, in contrast to Luca Marenzio's sweetness.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The First Book of Madrigals showcases a younger Gesualdo, distinct from his later experimental style, yet already demonstrating clear, faultless, and effective musical solutions.

Composition History

Carlo Gesualdo's First Book of Madrigals was initially published in 1591 under the name of Giuseppe Piloni, a friend of composer Jean de Macque, as it was not socially accepted for a nobleman to publish music under his own name.

Composer Biography

Carlo Gesualdo, a prince, was 28 years old when his First Book of Madrigals was officially published in 1594, which was considered a bit late for an editorial debut for a madrigal composer.

Compositional Technique

Gesualdo's First Book of Madrigals includes his only setting of a sonnet, 'Mentre madonna il lasso fianco posa,' with lyrics by Torquato Tasso.

Recording & Production

This album completes a multi-year project by La Compagnia del Madrigale to record all of Carlo Gesualdo's madrigals for the Glossa record label, a project that began over twenty years ago.