Customer Reviews

Gesualdo: Quarto libro de Madrigali

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There are now TWO superb performances of Gesualdo's "Quarto Libro de Madrigali" available on CDs, by La Venexiana and by The Kassiopeia Quintet. I've spent a good part of the morning trying to decide which I prefer, and I can't. La Venexiana is lighter and more "Petrarchan" in affect; Kassiopeia is darker and more "Tasso-esque". Morning and evening ragas, if you will.

The CD notes by singer Tido Vasser of Kassiopeia assert that all six of Gesualdo's books of madrigals were written within a single decade, though the publication of V & VI was long delayed. Vasser maintains that the first three books were Gesualdo's apprenticeship in madrigalism; I certainly agree that books I & II are 'generic' in comparison to IV, V, & VI, but I find Book III too exciting to denigrate it in any way. To my ears, Gesualdo's stature as one of the supreme composers of his age has never been fully demonstrated until these performances by La Venexiana and Kassiopeia. I've recently reviewed the latter ensemble's recording of Libro VI. It's a musical miracle.

What can one say about this sublime music? Nothing, just to listen and to see with total amazement and thankfulness to what heights some of us can fly.
This miracle is performed unbelievebly beautifull by the most excellent La Venexiana, maybe THE best Italian Ensemble today.
I heard the first 3 books of Gesualdo with the Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam.
It's a very good performance - very clear, very precise, with a beautiful voices.
But when you listen to La Venexiana, it's not just very clear and precise, it's also full of colours, of lushness, of restrained sensuousness -
It's simply a magnificent Italian performance of a magnificent Italian music.

Add to this a masterful recording, that transmit faithfully the whole venue
of the recording (just for curiosity, you can even "see" that Daniele Carnovich is higher than the other members), and you get a top 5 stars.

It'll make me very happy if La Venexiana will decide to record the 3rd and the 6th books (they allready recorded the 5th book).

Ordered CD after hearing it on AOL radio. Received in about 3 days. All music on the CD is great.