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Analyste: J. F. Weber
In the 1990s Rinaldo Alessandrini recorded five complete books of madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi: Book IV (17:3), Book VI (17:5), Book II (Fanfare 18:5), Book V (20:4), and Book VIII. The three discs of Book VIII were recorded separately; the first was reviewed in 21:2, the second in 22:2. Later, in 2005, the final disc was recorded and the three CDs were issued as a set (30:4), leaving the question of further recordings unanswered. Now, 15 years later, Book VII has finally appeared. Not surprisingly, only two singers have returned from the 2005 sessions, soprano Monica Piccinini and tenor Raffaele Giordani. (The singers from the sessions of the 1990s, led by Claudio Cavina, quit in 1995 to form La Venexiana, a group that has recorded the entire nine books of madrigals.) In this set, seven singers are accompanied by 13 players. Book VII was a major break from the pattern of the first six books, published from 1587 to 1614, which uniformly used the format of five voices, unaccompanied until continuo was added in the last half of Book VI. The works of Book VII were set for one, two, three, four, or six voices, and the publication bore the title “Concerto.” Alessandrini’s tempos fall within the middle range of the previous sets. These discs are arranged in random order, like the sets directed by Claudia Cavina and Gwendolyn Toth, though they all begin with the first introductory piece, Tempro la cetra, and end with the concluding ballo, Tirsi e Clori. Alessandrini’s order bears no resemblance to Cavina’s, but it is notably well thought out, grouping the songs of each text-author, Battista Marino near the beginning of the first disc, Giovanni Battista Guarini leading off the second. Tempro la cetra is sung with distinction by tenor Valerio Contaldo. Soprano Monica Piccinini delivers a superb lettera amorosa, Se i languidi miei sguardi, not an unusual assignment (it has been recorded by every voice type) even if the sentiments of the text belong to the male lover reading his letter. Piccinini also sings Con che suavità, a richly scored setting, with the utmost control of dynamics. The other letter, Se pur destina e vòle, is credited to “RF,” which matches neither of the two tenors (he is also credited as Tirsi in the ballo). I’m guessing it refers to Raffaele Giordani. He sings with great feeling. The ensemble singing is distinguished by Alessandrini’s direction from the harpsichord. He has spent over 30 years recording Monteverdi, not to mention dozens of other composers listed on two pages of fine print in the booklet, concentrating on Italian and German repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. His five pages of notes are exemplary in their clarification of the music. Biagio Marini’s Entrata grave, which leads off the second disc, could have been added to the headnote but, playing for less than a minute, it falls under the rule of de minimis non curat lex (the law doesn’t bother with trifles). Although seven complete recordings of the Seventh Book can now be found in the Fanfare Archive, only one of the earlier sets can be found online. We have heard Raymond Leppard (3:2; CD not reviewed), Roberto Gini (14:1), Claudio Cavina (26:4 and still available), Marco Longhini (32:4), Krijn Koetsveld (39:6), and Gwendolyn Toth (44:6). Cavina and Longhini are the most notable rivals to Alessandrini, but the new set is an easy choice for today’s purchaser. Highly recommended.
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