Monteverdi: Laudate Dominum

Without doubt, Monteverdi was the greatest of the early baroque European composers. He revolutionised the music of the theatre and the church by his dramatic and imaginative use of voices and instruments and by his daring harmonies and rhythms. Next to his Vespers of 1610, the Selva morale e spirituale of 1641 is his most significant and virtuosic collection of sacred music. This second volume of The Sixteen’s celebrated series includes the Messa à 4 da cappella.

SFZ MUSIC, the independent label for His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, are proud to announce their latest release, the debut solo album by one of their core members, Adam Woolf.

Adam, one of the most sought-after players in Europe, presents a varied programme of solos works from the early baroque designed to show off, or imitate, the purest-known form of music making - the human voice. He plays with the agility and virtuosity of a violinist or recorder player, without losing the power and velvet tone of his instrument. Ably accompanied by a crack group of continuo players, this is a haunting and enchanting recording, a valuable addition to any lover of Renaissance vocal and wind music, and concrete proof of the vocal qualities of the Sackbut.

“Woolf again impresses the listener with impeccable intonation coupled with virtuosic technique, always with suave phrasing” Historic Brass Society

Philippe Jaroussky, described by Germany’s Die Zeit as “the Apollo of countertenors’, stands out among his many talented contemporaries as much for the soprano-like beauty of his tone as for the elegance and insight of his interpretations and his adventurous and erudite approach to repertoire – whether unearthing neglected scores by little-known composers or venturing beyond the Baroque into the 19th and 20th centuries.

Established as one of Virgin Classics’ bestselling artists, Jaroussky, now aged 34, has been honoured three times in the Victoires de la Musique awards in his native France and has also received Germany’s most prominent music prize, the Echo Klassik. His diverse achievements are saluted in two new collections on Virgin Classics – the 2CD set “The Voice” and the DVD and Blu Ray “La Voix des rêves: Greatest moments in Concert”.

“THE VOICE” 2 CD Best of Philippe Jaroussky comprises 31 tracks chosen by the singer himself and six previously unreleased tracks of music by Handel and Purcell. Vivaldi takes pride of place on the album, but other composers include Caldara, Porpora and JC Bach and, from later eras, Fauré, Reynaldo Hahn and even Argentina’s King of Tango, Ástor Piazzolla.

Claudio Monteverdi and Girolamo Frescobaldi were two of the most influential musical figures in 17th-century Italy; while the former's boundary-pushing madrigals, operas and sacred works changed the course of Baroque vocal music irrevocably, the latter was one of the first – and most prominent – composers to devote serious attention to composing for the keyboard.

This new recording celebrates the influence that these two composers continue to exert over performers and audiences today -- and the fascination that their music inspires -- through a selection of motets and instrumental pieces, performed with precision and authority by Il Pegaso and Maurizio Croci. Of particular interest are a handful of new discoveries: three Marian antiphons by Monteverdi, preserved in a music print held at the Biblioteka Uniwersytecka in Wroclaw, Poland, and pieces drawn from a recently-unearthed notebook of Frescobaldi's, including early stages of extant works.

With the addition of several better known compositions, this intriguing collection illuminates some less familiar aspects of both composers' oeuvres, and places recent musicological discoveries within reach of listeners. In their debut recording, the new ensemble Il Pegaso, led by Maurizio Croci, deliver performances invested with passion and expertise.

Other information:

- A rare and exciting opportunity to hear recently-discovered pieces by Monteverdi and Frescobaldi, performed by experts in 17th-century Italian music.

- The debut recording by new ensemble Il Pegaso.

- Recorded in February 2012.