Organization

Conductor

Rinaldo Alessandrini

Singer

Soprano

Monica Piccinini

Sonia Tedla

Tenor

Massimo Altieri

Roberto Rilievi

Gran Teatre del Liceu

Monteverdi's Madrigals (IV)

Barcelona

Spain

Monteverdi's Madrigals (IV): Concert Various

Public

Concert

Approved

In our exploration of Claudio Monteverdi's complete madrigals, we make a further stop at the Seventh Book in which polyphony evolves towards more modern forms and more daring harmonies. The  Settimo Libro  de Madrigali , is dedicated to the Duchess of Mantua, Caterina de' Medici. By giving it the title Concerto , Monteverdi reflected his intention to achieve greater variety of form. It became a turning point in his output, after which he set out along new paths. The classical five-voice pattern, which remained unchanged in his first six books, is abandoned here and replaced by madrigals for one, two, three, four or six voices, alongside other types of vocal works. 

In the midst of these widely contrasting accents, forms and patterns, the instruments are assigned a key role instead of merely providing the continuo. 

The Seventh Book resembles an imaginary theatre featuring stories, episodes from love affairs, tragedies and even comedies about which we know neither the leading figures nor the time or place of the action. The madrigal is the perfect vehicle for expressing human passions. Monteverdi used it to experiment while also composing operas.

This period was the gateway to the Baroque era and the sound portraits conjured up by Monteverdi, the Oracolo della Musica , are theatrical experiences which are both exquisite and highly intense.

Rinaldo Alessandrini will be visiting the Liceu with his Concerto Italiano, a flagship ensemble founded in 1985 which has performed in leading auditoriums throughout the world. An unquestioned specialist in this repertory, he has conducted the complete works of Monteverdi several times, from his madrigals to the Vespro della Beata Vergine , via his three surviving operas ( L'Orfeo , Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and L'incoronazione di Poppea ). He will act as master of ceremonies at the performances of this intriguing corpus of madrigals.

English

Monteverdi's Madrigals (IV) by Various, From (2023/2023), Conductor Rinaldo Alessandrini, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, Spain

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues