Marenzio: Madrigali a 4v

Marenzio: Madrigali a quattro voci
Concerto Italiano - Rinaldo Alessandrini
Opus 111 30-117

Contents:

  1. Non vidi mai dopo notturna pioggia
  2. Dissi a l'amata mia lucida stella
  3. Veggo, dolce mio bene
  4. O bella man, che mi distringi 'l core
  5. Non al suo amante piú Dïana piacque
  6. Hor vedi, Amor, che giovinetta donna
  7. Apollo, s'ancor vive il bel desio
  8. Nova angeletta sovra l'ale accorta
  9. Vedi le valli e i campi che si smaltano
  10. Chi vòl udire i miei sospiri in rime
  11. Madonna, sua mercè, pur una sera
  12. Vezzosi augelli, in fra le verdi fronde
  13. Ahi dispietata morete, ahi crudel vita!
  14. Dolci son lequadrella ond'Amor punge
  15. Menando un giorno gl'agni presso un fiume
  16. I lieti amanti e le fanciulle tenere
  17. Tutto 'l dí piango
  18. Zefiro torna, e'l bel tempo rimena
  19. Sul carro de la mente auriga siedi
  20. Lasso, dicea; Perché venisti Amore
  21. Dialogo fra Ofelia, Elenco e Montano

Performers:
Concerto Italiano (Rinaldo Alessandrini, director)
Rossana Bertini (S), Claudio Cavina (A), Giuseppe Maletto (T), Sergio Foresti (B).
Mara Galassi (harp), Andrea Damiani (lute).

Playing time: 62'

Recording date: April 1994

Madrigals from Libro Primo, 1585, Rome. Texts by Petrarch, Sanazzaro, Torquato Tasso.

François Velde

Of all the composers who developed the madrigal form away from its earlier contrapuntal roots toward the Baroque style of Monteverdi & contemporaries, Luca Marenzio (1533-99) is slowly emerging as the most accomplished from our modern perspective. Although Marenzio represents a somewhat short-lived intermediate form in the Mannerist progression from the mature style of Cipriano de Rore (c.1515-1565) to the early style of Monteverdi, he did achieve a personal style which stands well on its own.

Marenzio's first book (on this program) shows the more old-fashioned 4-voice disposition, while his later books move on to the emerging standard of the 5-voice madrigal.

The other program devoted to Marenzio's madrigals by the present ensemble:

Il piu dolce signo d'Italia
Marenzio: Madrigali
Concerto Italiano - Rinaldo Alessandrini
Opus 111 30-245

Other recordings devoted to Marenzio's madrigals:

Marenzio: Il Nono Libro de Madrigali, 1599
La Venexiana
Glossa 920906
Marenzio: Baci soavi e cari
Consort of Musicke - Anthony Rooley
Musica Oscura 70992
Marenzio: Madrigaux à 5 voix
Concerto Vocale - Renée Jacobs
Harmonia Mundi musique d'abord 1901065
Marenzio: Spiritual Madrigals (1584)
Gli Erranti - Alessandro Casari
Stradivarius Dulcimer 33642

And a recording of motets:

Marenzio: Motectorum pro festis totius anni (1585)
Associazione Progetto Musica - Giulio Monaco
Tactus 551301

Broader selections, featuring several items by Marenzio:

Concerto della donne - Madrigali
Consort of Musicke - Anthony Rooley
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 77154
La Pellegrina
Music for the Wedding of Ferdinando de' Medici and Christine de Lorraine, Princess of France (Florence 1589)
Huelgas Ensemble - Paul Van Nevel
Sony Vivarte 63362 (2 CDs)

And a madrigal-cycle of Banchieri, also including some madrigals by Marenzio:

Banchieri: Barca di Venetia per Padova
Ensemble Clément Janequin - Dominique Visse
Harmonia Mundi 901281

Finally, a recording devoted to the light genre of canzonette, in which Marenzio also worked:

Viadana: Canzonette a tre voci
Cappella Palatina - Giovanni Battista Columbro
Stradivarius Dulcimer 33387

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Todd M. McComb