Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra, Collegium Vocale Gent and Skip Sempe - La Pellegrina - Intermedii 1589 (2007)

Live recording May 2007. Florence, 19th October 1587: Francesco de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany dies with his wife under suspicious circumstances. His brother Ferdinando inherits the title, leaves the monkhood for worldly aspirations including finding a wife. On 2nd May 1589, he married Christine of Lorraine, granddaughter of Catherine de Medici, mother of the King of France. As was the custom at European courts, the wedding was accompanied with splendid festivities, each one outshining the last, to convey the image of the new monarchy.

The highlight of the 1589 Medici festivities was the wedding-day performance of La Pellegrina. Less than a decade later, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo was the first opera to rely upon the large and colorful 'intermedii' orchestra. Indeed, at the same time that we are cellebrating the anniversary of Monteverdi's Orfeo,

specialists consider that the Pellegrina can be considered the first opera. Rather than reconstructing a historic event, Skip Sempé has revived a narrative performance style, concentrating on the bold, virtuoso gestures of this exuberant music.

There have been two previous recordings, neither of which is currently available.This new version, recorded in Brussels in May, with the finest soloists in Renaissance repertoire, the famous Collegium Vocale Gent, is also the first CD by the Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra for Paradizo.

An exhaustive essay by Skip Sempé illuminates both the research and his views on the performance of La Pellegrina. The work is considered in the context of the history of the Medici Intermedii, the source research, synopsis of the themes and the creators of the Intermedii, along with a section on the invention of modern stagecraft and the creation of opera.A second CD with a 36-minute interview with Skip Sempé and Lindsay Kemp (from BBC and Gramophone) is also included. Complete with numerous musical examples, the interview is conceived as a continuation the booklet in the form of conversation. A perfect way to discover more about La Pellegrina, a milestone in the history of music that celebrates the birth of opera.