Marenzio: Il Nono Libro De Madrigali / La Venexiana

Track Listings

1. Cosi Nel Mio Parlar Voglio Esser Aspro/Et Ella Ancide (Seconda Parte)

2. Amor, I' Ho Molti Et Molti Anni Pianto

3. Dura Legge D' Amor, Ma Benche Obliqua/E So Come In Un Punto (Seconda Parte)

4. Chiaro Segno Amor Pose Alle Mie Rime

5. Se Si Alto Pon Gir Mie Stanche Rime

6. L'aura Che'l Verde Lauro E L'aureo Crine/Si Ch'io Non Veggia (Seconda Parte)

7. Il Vago E Bell' Armillo/E Dicea: 'O Beate Onde' (Seconda Parte)

8. Solo E Pensoso I Piu Deserti Campi/Si Ch'io Mi Cred'homai (Seconda Parte)

9. Vivo In Guerra Mendico E Son Dolente/E Gl'occhi Al Cielo E A Lei (Seconda Parte)

10. Fiume Ch'a L'onde Tue Ninfe E Pastori/Ahi Tu Mel Nieghi (Seconda Parte)

11. Parto O Non Parto?

12. Credete Voi Ch'i' Viva

13. Crudele, Acerba, Inesorabil Morte

14. La Bella Man Vi Stringo

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Not terribly much is known about Luca Marenzio, who died in 1599, but he is considered the greatest Italian master of the madrigal, and this CD is devoted to his ninth, and final, book of madrigals. The texts he chose are by some of the greatest poets who ever lived--Dante and Petrarch, to name just two--and his music, with its intricate rhythms, complex harmonies, exquisite dissonances, and endless suspensions, is of comparable glory. Here you'll find an overridingly melancholy mood: lovers mourning the loss or disaffection or departure of their beloveds, lovers awaiting or looking forward to or welcoming death--but what exquisite melancholy it is! La Venexiana are six singers--a soprano, mezzo, countertenor, two tenors, and bass--who breathe and sigh as one and whose blend is perfect: velvety, elegant, and even strident when needed. Occasional harpsichord and lute are invited in and add nicely to the mix. This is a gorgeous CD, perhaps not for everyone, but top of the line in its field. --Robert Levine

Marenzio: Il Nono Libro De Madrigali / La Venexiana, Music, Luca Marenzio, La Venexiana, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Classical Vocals

Average customer rating:

An extraordinary CD from a master of the Cinquecento

Butchering madrigal

Marenzio: Il Nono Libro De Madrigali / La Venexiana
La Venexiana
Manufacturer: Glossa
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by Marenzio | Marenzio, Luca | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Luzzaschi: Quinto Libro de' Madrigali

Giaches de Wert: La Gerusalemme Liberata

ASIN: B00001P4TO
Release Date: 1999-10-01

Tracks:

Cosi Nel Mio Parlar Voglio Esser Aspro/Et Ella Ancide (Seconda Parte)
Amor, I' Ho Molti Et Molti Anni Pianto
Dura Legge D' Amor, Ma Benche Obliqua/E So Come In Un Punto (Seconda Parte)
Chiaro Segno Amor Pose Alle Mie Rime
Se Si Alto Pon Gir Mie Stanche Rime
L'aura Che'l Verde Lauro E L'aureo Crine/Si Ch'io Non Veggia (Seconda Parte)
Il Vago E Bell' Armillo/E Dicea: 'O Beate Onde' (Seconda Parte)
Solo E Pensoso I Piu Deserti Campi/Si Ch'io Mi Cred'homai (Seconda Parte)
Vivo In Guerra Mendico E Son Dolente/E Gl'occhi Al Cielo E A Lei (Seconda Parte)
Fiume Ch'a L'onde Tue Ninfe E Pastori/Ahi Tu Mel Nieghi (Seconda Parte)
Parto O Non Parto?
Credete Voi Ch'i' Viva
Crudele, Acerba, Inesorabil Morte
La Bella Man Vi Stringo

Amazon.com

Not terribly much is known about Luca Marenzio, who died in 1599, but he is considered the greatest Italian master of the madrigal, and this CD is devoted to his ninth, and final, book of madrigals. The texts he chose are by some of the greatest poets who ever lived--Dante and Petrarch, to name just two--and his music, with its intricate rhythms, complex harmonies, exquisite dissonances, and endless suspensions, is of comparable glory. Here you'll find an overridingly melancholy mood: lovers mourning the loss or disaffection or departure of their beloveds, lovers awaiting or looking forward to or welcoming death--but what exquisite melancholy it is! La Venexiana are six singers--a soprano, mezzo, countertenor, two tenors, and bass--who breathe and sigh as one and whose blend is perfect: velvety, elegant, and even strident when needed. Occasional harpsichord and lute are invited in and add nicely to the mix. This is a gorgeous CD, perhaps not for everyone, but top of the line in its field. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

An extraordinary CD from a master of the Cinquecento.......2005-06-23

Marenzio's Ninth and final Book of Madrigals is justly famous for its daringly exotic use of chromaticism for dramatic and expressive effect, that contrasts with his other more pastoral sounding compositions. Although he is often compared to Carlo Gesualdo as a result, Gesualdo's chromaticisms arrive much less prepared, in a much more shocking and disorientating manner than in Marenzio, even if Marenzio is ultimately more radical in his use of chromaticism. In this regard Marenzio's chromaticism comes across much as it does in the radical chromaticism of Richard Wagner and his Zukunftsmusik (music of the future) - only Marenzio of the Cinquecento was writing some three centuries before him! Further inviting comparison to Wagner is the use of strange chordal juxtapositions, with exotic dissonances and strings of suspensions being the norm in a sequence of madrigals that revolve around themes of abandonment and melancholy. Given that Marenzio's madrigals have occasionally been seen as the peak of the genre, the Ninth Book may possibly be amongst the greatest of all books of madrigals.

La Venexiana share a number of members with Rinaldo Alessandrini's universally acclaimed Concerto Italiano. They share the same beautiful ensemble work and deeper understanding of the madrigalian word colourings those of non-native Italian speaking ensembles. They relish the chromatic word paintings that Marenzio uses in their exploration of his exotic sound-world. The command by these Italian groups of this repertoire is such that the previous efforts by groups such as the Consort of Musicke - important in their time - seem embarassing by comparison. Rinaldo Alessandrini wrote in the November 1999 issue celebrating the 400th anniversary of the composer's death in 1499:

"However, this [modernised pronounciation] is not nearly so bad as the barbarisms of singers whose mother tongue is not Italian, who are often deluded into thinking that an indiscriminate doubling of consonants (especially the Y and the T) can re-create the sound of the Italian language. To my astonishment, I have often heard the word 'dolore' changed to 'dol-lore', also with both 'o' sounds open to the point of sounding ridiculous. (Both the 'o's in 'dolore' are dark, the second a shade more than the first.)"

We must really hand it to these Italians who really have the field all to themselves now. Eric van Tassel in Goldberg early music magazine wrote that "La Venexiana is the best madrigal consort currently active in the recording studio. They choose excellent repertoire, sing in tune, listen sensitively to one another and phrase responsively, paying close attention to the words, and adapting their style to each composer's special qualities."

As for the gentleman who claims the group 'butchers' these madrigals, readers are urged to keep in mind that his sweeping claims could equally be levelled against nearly every recording of madrigals you could care to name. Why single this particular recording out just to make the point that Italian madrigals ought to be performed in a more theatrical manner where La Venexiana take pains to avoid hystrionics? In fact some critics feel that compared to their reserved English rivals La Venexiana are at times delightfully colourful, whose historically informed decisions to perform these works written for the cognoscenti tend towards delicious refinement.

Critical acclaim, even from specialist early music magazines has been unanimous in its praise of this recording.

Ian Fenlon in Gramophone gave this CD an excellent review saying that:

"The architecture of individual phrases is beautifully shaped and finished, and the structure of the whole finely paced. Overall tone is firm and intense, and the ensemble nicely voiced. It is a delight to escape from crudely melodramatic interpretations in which opposing words or ideas are matched to rather mannered dynamic contrasts; here there is something far more subtle and intelligent. Marenzio's Nono Libro is not easy music, but it could hardly have had more powerful advocacy."

Brian Robbins writing in Goldberg early music magazine added to the growing list of rave reviews for this CD. Giving this recording the prestidious Goldberg five star rating, he wrote:

"Unquestionably another five-star recommendation to add to that given to La Venexiana's recording of Monteverdi's Seventh Book of Madrigals in Goldberg 7. In a sense the present issue is of even greater value, since this represents the first complete recording of what was to be Marenzio's final publication...La Venexiana's performances ideally capture the passionate introversion encapsulated in these marvellous pieces, while Glossa's recording is first-rate... An absolute must"

Finally harpsichordist Fabio Bonizzoni included this amongst his 10 desert island CDs in an interview with Goldberg early music magazine saying: "Listen carefully to this album and true musical treasures will be revealed." I must add that I agree completely with that sentiment.

These are indeed exquisitely beautiful performances that fully deserve the almost universal lavish praise heaped on them. They simply demand to be heard. I heartily urge anybody interested in early music, or who has enjoyed the Concerto Italianos recordings of other madrigalists to check these extraordinary works out and to judge this lovely CD for themselves. The recording quality is also very good.

Butchering madrigal.......2004-08-25

Let's face it: in the re-construction of renaissance music, late fifteenth-century Italian madrigal composers have had no luck. A small number of dedicated ensembles, more or less covered up by scholarly props (but read the liner notes by Rinaldo Alessandrini in his Gesualdo CD - he was Cavina's conductor before they split - for perhaps the worst-read essay ever written, endorsing a frightfully edited source from another record's liner notes and clearly stating he has never read the easily available Gesualdo biography by A. Watkins), have created a pretendingly italianate and frightfully lacklustre a cappella style which, besides being exceedingly hard to listen to, seems to do more justice to Victorian (i. e. "exquisite") misconceptions of the past than to mannerist musical rhetoric. Critics generally love them: as for me, I can only wonder how anybody can bona fide listen to these singer without being irritated (physically). Just check their systematically (albeit, I fear, unknowingly) doing away with all the most important issues in Renaissance music (musica ficta, ornamentation, tuning techniques), their slow-motion singing of a notoriously fast music style, and most of all their use of nasal, vibrato-less voices which constantly try to make moans and an outraged granny - err, "strident" - timbre sound like affetti. As for velvet, you should really look for it elsewhere.
As a matter of fact, Venexiana isn't probably any worse than Anthony Rooley (or Alan Curtis, or Philip Pickett) singing Monteverdi, but is that enough? The bad side is, there are no substitutes. Alessandrini's Marenzio is even staler; Le Poème's Harmonique's aurally (somewhat) sounder alternative and outstanding soprano are marred by general tastlessness and folk-music merging. Marenzio's last madrigal book is an astonishing performance. If you really (as I do) like mannerist madrigals, buy this version: this is the second-worst, scores are rarely to be found, and you will often find yourself trying to figure out how it would all sound if decently sung. If you are looking for a well-sung intro to sixteenth-century music, turn to Van Nevel's de Rore, Herreweghe's Lassus, Hilliard's Gesualdo.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

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1. Cosi Nel Mio Parlar Voglio Esser Aspro/Et Ella Ancide (Seconda Parte)
2. Amor, I' Ho Molti Et Molti Anni Pianto
3. Dura Legge D' Amor, Ma Benche Obliqua/E So Come In Un Punto (Seconda Parte)
4. Chiaro Segno Amor Pose Alle Mie Rime
5. Se Si Alto Pon Gir Mie Stanche Rime
6. L'aura Che'l Verde Lauro E L'aureo Crine/Si Ch'io Non Veggia (Seconda Parte)
7. Il Vago E Bell' Armillo/E Dicea: 'O Beate Onde' (Seconda Parte)
8. Solo E Pensoso I Piu Deserti Campi/Si Ch'io Mi Cred'homai (Seconda Parte)
9. Vivo In Guerra Mendico E Son Dolente/E Gl'occhi Al Cielo E A Lei (Seconda Parte)
10. Fiume Ch'a L'onde Tue Ninfe E Pastori/Ahi Tu Mel Nieghi (Seconda Parte)
11. Parto O Non Parto?
12. Credete Voi Ch'i' Viva
13. Crudele, Acerba, Inesorabil Morte
14. La Bella Man Vi Stringo