Monteverdi Madrigali Volume 2: Mantova: Excerpts from Books IV, V and VI

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This group of performers is commendably aware of [the] move towards expressive freedom: we get from them searing moments of deep anguish...and mesmerising stillness...[and] the finest performance... — BBC Music Magazine, February 2015, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 29th Sep 2014
Catalogue No: AF003
Label: Les Arts Florissants Editions
Length: 73 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

January 2015

Disc of the Month

Monteverdi: Il quarto libro de madrigali, 1603

Work length16:37

$5.00

$6.25

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I. Sfogava con le stelle

Track length3:25

$1.00

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II. Si ch'io vorrei morire

Track length2:54

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III. Voi pur da me partite

Track length3:38

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IV. Anima dolorosa

Track length2:34

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V. Piagn' e sospira, e quand' i caldi raggi

Track length4:06

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Monteverdi: Il quinto libro de madrigali, 1605

Work length15:29

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I. Cruda Amarilli, che col nome ancora

Track length2:47

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II. O Mirtillo, Mirtill' anima mia

Track length2:41

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III. Era l'anima mia

Track length3:33

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IV. T'amo mia vita, la mia cara vita

Track length3:05

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V. E cosi a poco a poco

Track length3:23

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Monteverdi: Lamento d’Arianna, SV 22

Work length13:20

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I. Lasciatemi morire

Track length1:43

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II. O Teseo, o Teseo moi

Track length5:07

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III. Dove, dove è la fede

Track length2:37

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IV. Ahi, che non pur risponde

Track length3:53

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Monteverdi: Zefiro torna

Work length3:59

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Monteverdi: Sestina – Incenerite spoglie

Work length16:06

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I. Incenerite spoglie, avara tomba

Track length2:19

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II. Ditelo, o fiumi, e voi, ch'udiste Glauco

Track length2:07

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III. Dara la notte il sol lume alla terra

Track length2:30

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IV. Ma te raccogli, O Ninfa, in grembo 'l Cielo

Track length3:00

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V. O chiome d'or, neve gentil del seno

Track length2:18

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VI. Dunque, amate reliqui, un mar di pianto

Track length3:52

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Monteverdi: Questi vaghi concenti

Work length8:15

$1.20

$1.50

$1.75

About
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About

With this album Les Arts Florissants inaugurate a three-volume series devoted to the finest pages of Monteverdi’s madrigals. Each volume will be linked to one of the cities that marked the composer’s life: the present opus dedicated to Mantova (extracts from Books IV, V and VI) will be followed by two others devoted to Cremona (April 2015 - Books I, II and III) and Venice (February 2016 - Books VII and VIII). These publications all draw on the indepth work carried out by Paul Agnew at the head of an ensemble that has already shone in this repertoire on numerous European stages. The birth of a milestone series, in a beautifully designed boxset, featuring a new text commissioned by Les Arts Florissants by René de Ceccatty, the renowned French writer.

Reviews

February 2015

This group of performers is commendably aware of [the] move towards expressive freedom: we get from them searing moments of deep anguish...and mesmerising stillness...[and] the finest performance on disc of [the] last madrigal with its incredibly avant-garde dissonances.

Early Music Review December 2014

This is a very impressive recording...The level of control and unanimity of the singers is astonishing, as is the huge sense of commitment to the words which permeate the recording. Some initial shock at the intensity of some passages and the closeness to the edge to which the singers push the dissonance, gives way to admiration...the singers of Les Arts Florissants have got the measure of Monteverdi's writing...This is definitely a must buy.

January 2015

Agnew's selection is impeccably judged...Les Arts Florissants have not so rich a sound as their Italian counterparts but the lighter timbre makes for a texture of rare transparency, an elfin capacity to render changes that can be properly breathtaking...And if you don't know a single volume should be enough to persuade you that you ought to have done, long ago.

30th November 2014

the vocalists — Agnew sings and directs from within the ensemble — give us Monteverdi’s own five-voice arrangement of Arianna’s Lament, delivered with the dramatic intensity and attention to textual clarity and dynamic variety that are the hallmarks of the ensemble’s Monteverdi.

27th November 2014

As you would expect from this source, the performances are immaculate, the vocal colouring, the phrasing and the ensemble utterly refined. Some may prefer an earthier, more Italianate approach in this music, but the sheer accomplishment of Les Arts Florissants is hard to resist.

Audiophile Audition 22nd December 2014

Agnew not only directs but sings also, and the group that William Christie founded remains in tip-top shape…the sheer perfection of execution and vibrant tonality of these performances are hard to dismiss.

Monteverdi Madrigali Volume 2: Mantova

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