Caccini, G: Amarilli mia bella

A disc of medieval dance music with an oriental twist!

This seemingly impossible combination produces an enchanting result, as in earlier centuries when the eastern Mediterranean with its trade routes enjoyed a cultural exchange which we can only dream of today.

Latitude37 is an exciting Baroque trio whose members are known for performances of 16th, 17th and 18th century music. Graduates of the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, the ensemble represents a new generation of period instrumentalists. Includes works by Lasso, Castello, Frescobaldi and Kapsberger, as well as several of the ensemble’s own improvisations over dance bass lines.

The programme, entitled ‘Not Just Dowland’ sets the father of English song alongside his contemporary Robert Johnson, who notably composed for the plays of Shakespeare, and the Italians Monteverdi, Grandi, Piccinini, Caccini and Merula. There are also instrumental items by Johnson, Ferrabosco, Rosseter and Kabsberger.

“Everything was so perfect, the evening seemed to pass in a flash,” was The Independent’s verdict on the Wigmore Hall recital in December 2008 by soprano Carolyn Sampson and lutenist Matthew Wadsworth. “The soprano Carolyn Sampson is blessed with a lovely voice …and the lutenist Matthew Wadsworth … really is a class apart among exponents of this increasingly popular musical instrument.”

Roberta Invernizzi is one of the most sought-after sopranos in the field of Early Music.

By and large Gigli kept faith with those pieces he most enjoyed singing and that his public adored. ‘It was only through my audiences that this exercise of lungs, diaphragm and vocal cords became transmuted for me into a profound spiritual experience. Like a squirrel counting his hoard of nuts in the winter, I treasure their applause in my memory.’