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Madrigali a 5 voci, libro quinto [1611]
Soloists of Collegium Vocale Gent
Philippe Herreweghe musical direction
It is a well-known fact that the eccentric composer Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa, found his wife and her lover in 1590 in flagrante delicto and killed them both in cold blood. But is there also a connection between this gruesome event and the spectacular sound world and emotionality of his madrigals? No music is more expressive or more tormented than Gesualdo’s last collections, including his Fifth Book of Madrigals. Published two years before his death in 1613 at the composer’s estate nearby Naples, this collection of dramatic gems draws you into the mind of an uncompromising genius and gives you a taste of endless heartache, grandiosely disguised as bittersweet desire!