La Venexiana - Monteverdi: Sesto Libro dei Madrigali - 1614

With the ease and flair of the great masters, the members of La Venexiana once again reach a level entirely unattainable for other consorts, in a repertoire demanding the fullest identification of composer and performer. Within the Monteverdi Edition, it is time now for the Sixth Book, beginning with the well-known Lamento d'Arianna in its madrigal version, where a larger-than-life Rossana Bertini sets the tone for her companions in a stunning rendition.

The Sixth is a transitional book, where some of the great changes Monteverdi will establish in his Seventh Book can already be surmised. Its literary texts are full of direct and intertwined dialogues, as the third person gives way to the first, and description to representation. Instruments appear timidly, with a most subtle Fabio Bonizzoni contributing his personal touch of magic to pieces that tend to shape up as true miniature dramas.

Thus the exquisite Monteverdi Edition reaches its equator, with four available volumes out of a projected total of eight. The Eighth and Third Books will see the light this fall, and the great adventure will come to a close in 2007 with the edition of the Fifth, First, and Ninth Books.

And thereafter, the great Gesualdo... -- [i][/i]