Gesualdo: Madrigals, Books 5 & 6 / Longhini, Delitiae Musicae

$25.99
Label
Naxos
Release Date
May 28, 2013
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      GESUALDO
    • PERFORMER
      Marco Longhini, Delitiae Musicae
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      May 28, 2013
    • UPC
      747313314775
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      8573147-49
    • LABEL
      Naxos
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      3
    Works ⌄

    1. Gioite voi col canto

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    2. S'io non miro non moro

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    3. Itene, o miei sospiri

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    4. Dolcissima mia vita

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    5. O dolorosa gioia

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    6. Qual fora, donna, un dolce Ohime

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    7. Felicissimo sonno

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    8. Se vi duol il mio duolo

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    9. Occhi del mio cor vita

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    10. Languisce al fin chi da la vita parte

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    11. Merce grido piangendo

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    12. O voi, troppo felici

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    13. Correte, amanti, a prova

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    14. Asciugate i begli occhi

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    15. Tu m'uccidi, oh crudele

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    16. Deh, coprite il bel seno

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    17. Poiche l'avida sete

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    18. Ma tu cagion

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    19. O tenebroso giorno

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    20. Se tu fuggi, io non resto

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

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

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    22. Se la mia morte brami

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    23. Belta, poi che t'assenti

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    24. Tu piangi, o Filli mia

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    25. Resta di darmi noia

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    26. Chiaro risplender suole

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    27. Io parto, e non più dissi

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    28. Mille volte il di moro

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    29. O dolce mio tesoro

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    30. Deh, come invan sospiro

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    31. Io pur respiro in così gran dolore

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    32. Alme d'Amor rubelle

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    33. Candido e verde fiore

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    34. Ardita Zanzaretta

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    35. Ardo per te, mio bene

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    36. Ancide sol la morte

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    37. Quel no crudel che la mia speme ancise

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    38. Moro, lasso, al mio duolo

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    39. Volan quasi farfalle

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    40. Al mio gioir il ciel si fa sereno

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    41. Tu segui, o bella Clori

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    42. Ancor che per amarti

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    43. Gia piansi nel dolore

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini

    44. Quando ridente e bella

      Composer: Carlo Gesualdo

      Ensemble: Delitiæ Musicæ

      Conductor: Marco Longhini




GESUALDO Madrigals , Books 5 and 6 • Marco Longhini, cond; Delitiae Musicae • NAXOS 8.573147-49 (three discs: 182:40 Text and Translation)


Don Carlo Gesualdo (1566–1613), Prince of Venosa (the last of that aristocratic line), is renowned for the mannerist music he wrote, both sacred and secular, and the personal failings that enliven so many accounts of his life. He spent an important few years of his life in Ferrara after marrying the niece of Alfonso II d’Este, a court where he had much company among composers and singers, including Cipriano de Rore, Jacques de Wert, and Luzzasco Luzzaschi, not to mention the celebrated singing Ladies of Ferrara. He had grown up in similar surroundings in Venosa, where one of his teachers was Pomponio Nenna.


Another set of Gesualdo’s madrigals has now been completed, the last of several recordings marking the quarter-centenary of his death, although even this last installment was recorded two or three years ago. Marco Longhini’s interpretive approach is just different enough to make this an alternative to the others rather than a competition among them. We have had the old version of Angelo Ephrikian, recorded in 1968 but still available, sung one voice to a part with slow tempos (not as slow as Longhini), stylistically obsolete in a new era of Baroque interpretation. The other complete set came from Kassiopeia ( Fanfare 33:4) with considerably faster tempos but a keen sense of style. Longhini has now provided the third complete set, including for good measure the few other secular works published separately. Several other directors have recorded complete books, perhaps hoping to complete all six, among them Harry van der Kamp (29:3), Anthony Rooley (8:2), and those mentioned below.


This collection is striking for its departure from the performance practice of the first four books, issued one disc at a time (34: 1, 34:5, 35:3, 36:2). In each of those discs, he acknowledged an alternative performance practice by using harpsichord or theorbo to accompany half of the madrigals, leaving the rest unaccompanied, as all other recordings known to me have done. In these last two books, the madrigals are all unaccompanied. I find no explanation in Longhini’s lengthy and informative notes to indicate why his practice in the first four books has not continued here.


Tempos are again an obvious measure of the difference among competing versions of these madrigals. In Book 5, the northerners, Kassiopeia (33:4) and Hilliard (35:6), take about 55 minutes in all, while among the Italians, La Venexiana (29:2) takes 64 minutes and Longhini 83 minutes. Book 6 is similar, for Kassiopeia (also 33:4) is 67 minutes, La Compagnia del madrigali (36:6) is 78 minutes, and Longhini is 100 minutes. The very first madrigal in Book 6, Se la mia morte brami , is exactly twice as long here as in Kassiopeia’s. I would rather hear it too slow than too fast, but note that the recent La Compagnia del Madrigale version is a moderate four minutes. So it goes for every selection, if not exactly a 2:1 ratio. To be sure, all the cited versions are listenable or better, and on the fast side the Hilliard’s Book 5 is exquisite. Choosing moderation, it may be noted that La Venexiana’s Book 4 (24:3) may be added to their Book 5 and La Compagnia’s Book 6 to encompass lovely renditions of half the total. On the other hand, do not overlook Longhini’s extensive and literate notes (in fluent translations) in each issue, treating both music and biography at considerable length.


All of the recordings cited are sung very well and recorded up close. If you started collecting Longhini, don’t hesitate to complete the set. Naxos prints texts and English translations in the booklets as well as posting them online, unlike for some of their other recent issues.


FANFARE: J. F. Weber