Gesualdo: Silenzio mio. Il quarto libro di madrigali

Featuring

Philippe Herreweghe
Collegium Vocale Gent
Carlo Gesualdo

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Historical Context

This collection was influenced by Luzzasco Luzzaschi, a composer at the court of Ferrara, who dedicated his own Fourth Book of Madrigals to Gesualdo.

Composer Biography

Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa, was considered one of the most eccentric composers of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Compositional Technique

Gesualdo's music is known for its extraordinary expressive effects, sophisticated contrapuntal devices, original chromatic contortions, and unusually dissonant passages.

Performer Biography

Collegium Vocale Gent, founded in 1970 by Philippe Herreweghe, was among the first ensembles to apply new ideas about baroque performance practice to vocal music.

Composition History

Gesualdo's Fourth Book of Madrigals was published in 1596 in Ferrara, two years after his marriage to Leonora d'Este, niece of Cardinal Alessandro d'Este.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The poet Alessandro Guarini described music and poetry as 'twins' with a dual aim: to delight the hearer and to portray the passions.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The Fourth Book of Madrigals marked a stylistic turning point for Gesualdo, leading to the hyper-chromaticism and musical expressionism of his later works.