The program of this release refers to two favorite themes of the European Reanissance which are at the basis of a large number of compositions based on the “feelings” of war and grief. The works that function as a starting point for the repertory are the Bataille de Marignan of Clement Janequin and the chanson of Josquin des Prez Mille Regretz, both of which are closely linked to the historic-cultural context of the court of the Emperor Charles V. The musical environment of Charles V (1516-1556) was composed of the best polyphonists at the time, among whom many renowned French-Flemish musicians. The environment, as well as an intelligent strategy of political treaties and dynastic bonds called into being by the emperor, enhanced the success of the scholarly music of the North of Europe. Musicians as well as scores travelled throughout the European continent and in this way spreading the French-Flemish polyphony and on a generous scale influenced the rest of the local musical reality. Upon the departure for the journey that was to proclaim him King of Spain in 1517, Charles V took with him the “Cappella fiamminga” of Brussels under the guidance of Nicolas Gombert, specialized in the vocal polyphonic repertory. He founded another cappella exclusively with Spanish musicians attached to the royal house of Castiglia, virtuoso instrumentalists of tecla, arpa andvihuela.

The Oratorio "Angelus ad virginem" - for Soloists, Choir, Orchestra and Organ arches Narrator - originates from a theological vision of monumental proportions: The mystery of the Mariana figure. The deep and eternal sense that it represented the entire human history as a threshold between the human and divine worlds is made fully from the extraordinary music and inspired by Roberto Caravella. The Oratory text is taken from the Latin version dell'Akatisthos - the most ancient liturgical hymn dedicated to the Theotokos - Mother of God. It is divided into four music rooms that trace the fundamental moments of the life of Mary: the Annunciation, the Nativity the Passion and the Assumption, which are added as many monologues written by the same author for the figure of the Creator and entrusted here emblematically to the masterful interpretation of Piera Degli Esposti.

The singer-songwriter musician Rino Farruggio seems to connect, sometimes in a daring way and perhaps even creates a kind of peace. Here we experience the simple song of the children alongside the most elaborate songs of adults. Farruggio brings the classic Christmas tunes to life, reviving them and referencing his unique creativity. Natale della gente, a song that has daring melodies and lyrics that continue the gospel mystery and narrative.

The Italian Renaissance was an extraordinarily creative period in all areas of knowledge. Music and dance belonged to a season of incredible richness in which all the great masterpieces followed one after another in a fascinating and astonishing rise in all the town courts poets, painters, sculptors, musicians, and dancers gave life and movement to an ever-changing society. Although dance was prohibited in medieval times, it, was later considered a moral activity of educational merit and was thus treated as a refined and elegant art with a precise written form. Festivities were the natural context for dance, a complex cast of movement often reflecting ceremonial celebrations of the royalty (engagement, wedding, birth, battle victory etc... all Renaissance court activity). On the present release, the ensemble La Rossignol explores dance tunes by Renaissance composers.

Since the early years of 1500, the city of Cremona has been one of the most important points in the history of music. In order to make people aware of the great tradition of this city, this release is presented as a simple and sincere tribute to all those who over the centuries have helped develop or create the evolution of the music produced by stringed instruments over the centuries. From the intense cultural life of renaissance, going through the narrow streets of the town, the families of violin makers like Amati, Guarneri del Gesu or the Stradivari gained great fame as masters of their art and contributed to this revolutionary music- its composition and its performance. The arrangements of these songs are inspired by great composers who developed in Cremona, such as Tarquinio Merula, Claudio Monteverdi and Amilcare Ponchielli. This recording was made possible thanks to the support provided by Carlo Alberto Carutti with his collection of instruments “Le Stanze per la Musica,” which are on display at Museo Civico Ala Ponzone of Cremona.

The rose, as it already was during the Middle Ages, continues to be one of the symbolic images of Renaissance civility. Its different values have persisted for ages: the religious one (the rose symbolizing the Madonna/Mother Mary, image of absolute pureness), the profane one (as a personification of the beloved one) and the esoteric one (symbol of resurrection, immortality, regeneration). This release, recorded live in a fifth century church in Santa Maria in Bressanoro in Castelleone, creates particularly varied and rich atmospheres: the compositions of great authors like Dunstable, Ciconia, Frescobaldi and Monteverdi meet in an aesthetical rather than in a chronological order. They melt together with the very direct, popular versions of devotional praise-songs of Dammonis and, singing and dancing to them, they celebrate the spring awakening of all senses and of passion, as if on a happy trip toward a new sense of harmony, toward the perfection of music, in a period when music still contributes to the great evolution of thought.

The program proposes some songs dedicated to the rose in its various symbolic aspects in XIII and XIV sec. The release's title is the beginning of one of the most famous Cantigas de Santa Maria, which proposes the main rose medieval allegory as an image of Virgo, also used to represent many holy concerts. Many values found a metaphor in the rose. This work stresses the universality of a symbol that inspired secular, religious and music literature all around Europe, and it found equal citizenship in three great cultures, the Hebrew, Christian and Islamic ones, that stood out the medieval occident. The group Chominciamento di Gioia is among the most important in Italy for the performance of early repertoire, note their collaboration with Angelo Branduardi in the realisation of his project "Futuro Antico".

Cremona was always a host to great composers and cultural activity. It acted as a hub and many fruitful professional relationships were formed. This album presents a musical journey through Cremona as well as other cultural hubs Mantua, Ferrara and Florence, where fundamental aspects of madrigal and opera were developed. All of the works on this release, from composers such as Claudio Monteverdi and Florentio Maschera, are performed on period instruments by renowned ensemble La Rossignol.

This new release was inspired by the meeting of Japanese soprano Emi Aikawa, who lives in Cremona, with the ensemble Rossignol. The musical path proposed in this recording aims to document the paraliturgical repertoire of the late Renaissance and early Baroque, and perform it with the most true historical performance practices to bring these gems into the modern listener’s world. La Rossignol is a cultural association that deals with the music and dance of the Italian Renaissance. The group has collaborated with the greatest world broadcasting companies, and performs throughout Europe.

Mario Duella is artistic director of the Associazione Culturale Storici Organic del Piemonte and an organizer of many international organ festivals. He has also been a juror in national and internationa organ competitions. Duella is the organist and choir director in the Portula Parish Church and these recordings are him playing live, with the historic organs of the Biellese churches.

The musicians of La Rossignol write of their impetus to record this album: "At the and of a concert with music and dances of the Italian Renaissance, given in a large capital city abroad, some illustrious ladies approached us and told us that, after what they had seen and heard, they had felt '... a great desire to visit Italy to see the places where this music had been conceived, sung, played and danced... ' By itself, this motivation could justify the effort needed to record an album, quite apart from the history, the philology, the study of old instruments and all the rest." La Rossignol is an ensemble that specializes in Early music and dance. Their performances are exciting and entertaining, and above all true to the performance practices of pre-classical musicmaking.

A treaty...written evidence..not enough to provice us a truth - whereas a paiting or an architecture can express much more because they are the materialization of the soul and life itself of the man that has created them. The senses are directly involved with the work and even more in the musical language, the sound gets deeper with such a power that is capable of destroying as well as rebuilding the body and soul. Therefore to perform today, music that does not belong to the current time, is like living and transmitting to the listener what the interior "eye" feels - looking at a music score like it was a black and white drawing and attempting to create a colorful painting. To achieve this was not enough to make usr etheoreticaly indication or alleged philologically correct reconstruction, instead it's creating musical images full of life that would reflect a way of "feeling" the baroque era.

Music and magic have always had the tightest of relationships. This release explores that relationship and connection between these two concepts. La Rossignol is a period music and dance ensemble that focuses on Renaissance music. The group has been active since 1987, and consists of seven early music specialists. The group tours across Europe, and has an extensive discography of more than ten releases. They particularly pay attention to the reconstruction of historical costumes, which they wear during their performances.

The imaginary musical route in the mystical Naples of Prince of S. Severo unravels in the crowded streets of the ancient Egyptian neighborhood, submerged in the very heart of the city, to finally reach the temple of Isis on which Duke Giovanni Francesco de Sangro at the end of the sixteenth century built the commemorative votive chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Compassion. He was the ancestor of that multifaceted and mysterious character D. Raimondo di Sangro, Prince of S. Severo and descendent of the Carolingians. Thanks to him the chapel was restructured in 1749 and finished in 1770. The music included on this release is inspired by Raimondo di Sangro, and features works by Roberto Caravella, Francesco Durante, Nicola Porpora, and others. Il Cantiere Dell Muse, under the direction of Roberto Caravella, perform these works with stunning historical accuracy.

This release is a selection of the music chosen for the celebration of the Holy Rosary in four Marian Sanctuaries in Rome during 2008, recorded live in San Gregorio dei Muratori, in the Basillica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in San Salvatore in Lauro and in SS. The idea behind the initiative was to reunite liturgy and prayer with the music originally composed for the celebration, bridging the gap between sacred music simply “played” in concerts and the deep liturgical and spiritual meaning it possesses. Today, sacred music is rarely part of liturgy, or at most plays a limited and marginal role; churches are used as “concert halls,” and even the musician approaching the world of sacred music, ignores or is unaware of its spiritual value. For this reason we have created a philological reconstruction of the ancient Marian Rosario, and have taken the occasion to finally correct the injustices suffered by religious music, especially its most ancient form. The celebration of the Rosario through music seemed to us to be a wonderful and unique occasion in which to reunite musical art and religiousness, revered in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, now forgotten and rarely heard.