Marco Longhini - Madrigals Book 7 Concerto - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Monteverdi's Sixth Book of Madrigals, which appeared nine years after his previous volume, was conceived as his final, though highly significant contribution to the stile antico. This was on the point of being consigned to history by the solo vocal style.

Widely recognized as one of the leading conductors of his generation, LSO Principal Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda presents the first in a new series exploring Tchaikovsky's final three symphonies. Urgent, supercharged and violent in places, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.4 is said to reflect the turmoil he found himself in while composing a disastrous marriage, struggles with his sexuality and severe depression. Yet, despite the gloomy outlook, the symphony proves undoubtedly that Tchaikovsky knew how to fill his works with memorable melodies. Known for his mastery of Russian repertoire, for this album Noseda pairs Tchaikovsky with a masterpiece by his fellow countryman, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, performed here in Ravel's iconic orchestration.

The madrigal, written for courts and patrons, was the ultimate secular song. The genre reached it's zenith with the works of Claudio Monteverdi in successive books that trace his technical and expressive innovations. In them, Monteverdi explored themes such as the vicissitudes and pleasures of love, as well as the art of war, and the pain of loss. The editions used in these recordings are the most authentic and uncut, and, in keeping with 17th-century practice, employ male voices only. Praised as 'compelling, simultaneously controlled and imaginative' (American Record Guide) the collection also includes pieces never before recorded. The instrumental and vocal ensemble Delitiæ Musicæ is considered one of the most enterprising Italian early music ensembles, with important recordings in the last 20 years that include the Missa Philomena Praevia of Verdelot, four widely acclaimed albums dedicated to Masses of Palestrina based on the compositions of the Flemish composer Cipriano de Rore, Lupus and Jacquet de Mantua. The unconventional yet impassioned interpretations by Delitiæ Musicæ and Marco Longhiniare seen as an important regeneration of Italian Renaissance and Baroque music.