The Madrigal in Venice

A whirlwind tour of the Venetian madrigal, from the sublime to the ridiculous

Performers: five singers, theorbo

“Semi-staged versions of madrigal comedies by Adriano Banchieri and Andrea Gabrieli…provoked justified chortles.” Martin Dryer, review, York Press, 2011

Venice was a hub for musical study at the turn of the seventeenth century, attracting composers from abroad as well as inspiring innovation at home. Sampling Willaert, Gabrieli’s greghesche and giustiniane, Schutz’s Italienischen Madrigale, Banchieri’s madrigal comedy Festino nella sera del Giovedi grasso avanti cena and the 4th and 6th madrigal books of Monteverdi, and making use of narration, historical quotations and semi staging, this programme takes the audience on a fanciful tour of the many faces of the Italian madrigal in Venice, from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Highlights from The Madrigal in Venice include:

Adriano Willaert (1490-1562)
Qual dolcezza giamai

Andrea Gabrieli (c. 1532-1585)
Sopra la morte d’Adriano

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Sì ch’io vorrei morire
Io mi son giovinetta

Heinrich Schutz (1585-1615)
O primavera, gioventù de l’anno
Dunque addio, care selve

Adriano Banchieri (1568-1634)
selections from ‘Festino nella sera di Giovedi grasso avanti cena’

Andrea Gabrieli
Chi’nde darà la bose
Ancor che col partire

Monteverdi
Qui rise Tirsi