Gesualdo: Madrigali libro quarto, 1596 (4th Book of Madrigals)

Gesualdo’s Fourth Book of Madrigals contains some of the most inspired and anguished vocal works in the entire madrigal repertoire, written while the composer was tormented by remorse after the murder of his wife and her lover. This collection is filled with technical innovation and extremes of expressiveness in its setting of highly dramatic texts. Unexpected dissonance, harmonic twists and elusive asymmetries all serve to dismantle the compositional rules of the period. Previous volumes in this series have been widely acclaimed. The Guardian described Book 2 (8570549) as having “great beauty and lyrical force”.

A representative of the late Renaissance/early Baroque in Italy Carlo Gesualdo’s music is truly baroque, i.e. capricious and bizarre in the original sense of the word. Especially in his madrigals he goes to great length to reflect textual meaning in musical images. His music is both complex and ‘clever’. This is singers’ repertoire with extravagant word painting. Some of Gesualdo’s dissonances and chromaticism did not reoccur until the 19th century! Many of the texts may have been written by the composer himself. The Ensemble Arte Musica is led by Francesco Cera. Their scintillating interpretations offer an exciting view on Gesualdo’s expressive music which contains both archaic and ‘avant-garde’ elements. At the time it was common to compose madrigals in five parts.

A fascinating compilation detailing the highly expressive music of Prince, composer and murderer Carlo Gesualdo – one of history’s most colourful figures.

Gesualdo’s first six books of madrigals remain his best-known music. While Nos. 1 and 2 rely on mastery of traditional counterpoint, it is in Books 3 and 4 that Gesualdo’s compositional idiosyncrasies – subtle rhythmic irregularities and unusual harmonic intervals – begin to dominate. By the time we reach the final two books, a fully mature style is in evidence: abounding in rich chromaticism, these collections contain a wealth of striking songs in which extremes of emotion are represented.

Gesualdo’s daring and forward-looking language was born out of his belief that music must be subservient to textual meaning, and his status as a nobleman allowed him to pursue this position unhindered. Featuring Quintetto Vocale Italiano’s pioneering performance of the works, this release movingly traces the development of a composer whose intensely expressive music was centuries ahead of its time.

First complete recording of this dramatic and historically significant body of music: a hugely important set in the wider dissemination of Gesualdo’s oeuvre.

Sung texts available from www.newtonclassics.com