Monteverdi published
his fifth book of madrigals in 1605
and dedicated it to the Duke of Mantua
in whose service he was. The publication’s
preface is an interesting confirmation
of Monteverdi’s working habits, because
he refers to the Duke listening to -
and approving of - the madrigals whilst
they were still in manuscript, though
in fact none of the manuscript copies
have come down to us.
That the madrigals
were written for the Duke’s private
chambers meant that Monteverdi had considerable
artistic freedom. His previous book
of madrigals had delighted some but
scandalized others as Monteverdi pushed
the madrigal to its utmost.
The fifth book of madrigals
was popular; by 1643 it has been re-printed
nine times. The original publication
included not only the preface but also
an introductory essay. Monteverdi used
this to respond to criticism of his
advance compositional methods levelled
against him by Giovanni Maria Artusi
in his polemical publications. It is
in this essay that Monteverdi refers
to La seconda prattica (the second
practice). This second practice ‘is
the musical style which makes the "oration"
(i.e. the word together with the meaning,
communicative sense, spirit and concept
that lie within it, as well as prosody,
syntax and rhetoric) the mistress of
harmony (i.e. of the music and its phonics,
grammar and structure) and not its maid
servant’.
These works abandon
the traditional five-voiced madrigal
and instead present music for a variety
of groupings of voices in which instrumental
writing could be rendered almost as
important as the vocal lines. So, of
course, the first question that listeners
must ask themselves is, does the performance
do justice to Monteverdi’s La seconda
prattica.
This new disc is part
of Delitiae Musicae’s on-going complete
series of Monteverdi’s madrigals for
Naxos. As such, many people who have
bought previous volumes will want to
buy this as well, having become familiar
with Delitiae Musicae’s performing style.
The group is all-male
with counter-tenors on the top line.
The results are notably distinctive
and will play a big part in affecting
the listener’s attitude to this recording.
The group functions as a vocal ensemble,
each voice being distinct and distinctive.
In that sense they are closer to Concerto
Italiano than to the Consorte of Musicke.
Their defining style is conditioned
by the sound of Alessandro Carmignani
and Paolo Costa on the top lines. Their
sound has an unearthly quality which,
though hauntingly beautiful at times
seems a little at odds with the very
human dramas being played out in the
madrigals.
Also, Carmignani seems
to be operating at the limits of his
voice. The results are by no means unpleasant
but there were times when I felt that
he did not have the flexibility to give
the vocal line the expressiveness it
needed. This leads into another issued
which applies to all of the singers:
though an Italian group they do not
give the words the intensity and concentration
that they would seem to need. You almost
feel that the group was a little too
in love with its own sound-world.
The madrigals are dramatic
and include a sequence of five that
created an extended scene between the
unhappy couple of Dorinda and Silvio.
Delitiae Musicae’s performances simply
lack the dramatic impetus that this
scene calls for.
Simply put, I found
this disc disappointing. At Naxos bargain
prices the disc makes a perfectly acceptable
offering but you could find performances
elsewhere which did more justice to
Monteverdi’s genius.
By all means buy this
disc if you have been collecting previous
volumes or as a supplement to other
recordings. But if you are looking for
a library recording, my advice is to
look elsewhere.
Robert Hugill
see also review
by Dominy Clements
Delitiae Musicae (Alessandro Carmignani, Paolo
Costa, Andrea Arrivabene – counter tenor); Fabio
Furnari, Paolo Fanciullacci, Alberto Allegrezza
(tenor), Walter Testolin , Davide Benetti (bass);
Maurizio Piantelli (theorbo); Carmen Leoni (harpsichord);
Marina Bonetti (harp); Cristiano Contadin, Rodney
Prada, Marco Angilella, Caterina Dell’Agnello
(viola da gamba), Sabina Colonna (soprano viola
da gamba, lirone, violone))/Marco Longhini 
