Monteverdi: Complete Duets 1 / Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Here is a brilliant example of the explosion of early music in Italy in recent years. American musicologist Alan Curtis and his Italian singers take risks galore: stretching the tempo here, making a sudden crescendo or decrescendo there--and they're not afraid to play the lighthearted pieces as broad comedy. All told, there's an excitement and daring in these performances you just don't hear from nonnative groups like the Consort of Musicke, however skilled they may be. This is not to romanticize Italianness: singing in one's native language lets a singer take risks with tempo, dynamics, and rhetoric while keeping a sense of where the boundaries of taste lie. (Imagine Italians trying that in Morley or Purcell.) There are certainly moments in this performance that some listeners will find overdone, but the performances are undeniably lively. There's no point in mentioning a favorite duet or singer--they're all fascinating. Check them out for yourself--and follow the text to really appreciate what they've achieved. --Matthew Westphal

Tracks:

Zefiro torna
Io son pur vezzosetta
Vorrei baciarti
O sia tranquillo il mare
Chiome d'oro
Non vedro mai le stelle
Mentre vaga Angioletta
Non e di gentil core
Tornate, o cari baci
Ohime, dov'e il mio ben
Bel pastor (Aminta e Clori)
Se'l vostro cor, madonna
O viva fiamma
Ecco vicine, o bella tigre, l'ore
O come sei gentile
Soave Libertate

Amazon.com

Here is a brilliant example of the explosion of early music in Italy in recent years. American musicologist Alan Curtis and his Italian singers take risks galore: stretching the tempo here, making a sudden crescendo or decrescendo there--and they're not afraid to play the lighthearted pieces as broad comedy. All told, there's an excitement and daring in these performances you just don't hear from nonnative groups like the Consort of Musicke, however skilled they may be. This is not to romanticize Italianness: singing in one's native language lets a singer take risks with tempo, dynamics, and rhetoric while keeping a sense of where the boundaries of taste lie. (Imagine Italians trying that in Morley or Purcell.) There are certainly moments in this performance that some listeners will find overdone, but the performances are undeniably lively. There's no point in mentioning a favorite duet or singer--they're all fascinating. Check them out for yourself--and follow the text to really appreciate what they've achieved. --Matthew Westphal

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Bodega Bohemia [Import]

Dyson: Concerto for string orchestra; Concerto for piano

Hound Dog: Essential Collection [Import]

Bo Kaspers Orkester - Greatest Hits [Import]

No Dice [Import]

Last Days and Time

Hello Italy/Knees Up, Mother Brown

Haydn: Symphony Nos. 82, 83 & 85

Here Is Life

For Django [CD-single] [Import]

Isn't Anything

Entregate

Fuiste con El

Countrys All Ill Ever Be

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