If you want a good idea of why Luca Marenzio (1553-99) was considered the madrigalist during the late-16th century, the music and performances on this fine recording will provide a good starting place. The richly colorful vocal writing–and equally colorful texts!–are ideally illustrated by the tightly focused intonation, reedy timbre, and knowing inflections of the Concerto Italiano’s seven singers. Sampling from Marenzio’s five- and six-part madrigals, the ensemble avoids any temptation to over-state the music’s case with exaggerated accents or heavy-handed phrasing and dynamics (a common fault of less-competent groups). Instead, they trust the composer’s keen sense of text-setting and allow expressive effects to arise naturally from the score. I have one problem with the performances, however: the voice of soprano Monica Piccinini, which at first makes a strong and effective presence, begins to penetrate and dominate the other voices as the program progresses. Her sound can be quite piercing (it also can be quite lovely) and needs different placement (or miking) in order not to become irritating and distracting, as it does on a few of the tracks. I much prefer the warmer, more agreeably blending voice of the other soprano, Elisabetta Tiso, but as she appears on far fewer of the selections than does Piccinini, it’s clear that director Rinaldo Alessandrini and I disagree on this preference. Nevertheless, there are many beautiful and affecting moments here–enough to highly recommend this disc to anyone who loves Italian madrigals and who wants to hear some of the best ever written. The recording, made in an Italian church, is vibrant and clear, with full-bodied, natural-sounding voices.
