Gesualdo, who murdered his first wife (and her lover), wrote music of harmonic complexity, centuries ahead of its time. Those two known facts form his reputation, and both are true, if slightly more nuanced. As a wealthy nobleman, Gesualdo didn’t need to compose for a living, so his music is arguably a pure mode of expression: he simply needed to make music. The 44 madrigals on this album, which concludes Les Arts Florissants’ survey, are works of obsession and intensity, and the six voices, directed by tenor Paul Agnew, are expressive and utterly at home in this musical language of extremes. It’s all recorded with great fidelity and impact.
- Raymond Leppard, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Marjorie Biggar, Enid Hartle, Teresa Cahill, Ugo Trama, Peter Gottlieb, Ileana Cotrubas, James Bowman, Dame Janet Baker, Hugues Cuenod, Janet Hughes, Federico Davia, Owen Brannigan, Teresa Kubiak & Isla Brodie
- Les Talens Lyriques & Christophe Rousset
- La Capella Reial De Catalunya, Sara Mingardo, Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall, Marc Mauillon & Luciana Mancini
- René Jacobs, Sigiswald Kuijken, La Petite Bande & Collegium Vocale Gent
- Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs, Lawrence Zazzo, Kobie Van Rensburg, Bernarda Fink, Veronica Cangemi, Dorothea Röschmann & Silvia Tro Santafé
- Le Poème Harmonique, Vincent Dumestre, Eva Zaïcik, Cyril Auvity & Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian
- Emiliano González Toro, Rihab Chaieb, Emöke Baráth, Zachary Wilder, Philippe Talbot, Ensemble I Gemelli & Philippe Jaroussky