When Cipriano de Rore published his first book of madrigals in 1542, he caused a musical earthquake. His work was inspired more by Dante’s poetry than the pastoral lyricism of Petrarch and Bembo, and idyllic beauty made way to ruinous landscapes and devastating pain. Musically, de Rore emphasises the texts with intensive use of chromaticism, leading to an expressivity and pathos that had never been heard before. The incomparable Graindelavoix performs these searing madrigals and reveals de Rore’s profound influence on the following generations, from Luzzasco Luzzaschi and Luca Marenzio to Carlo Gesualdo and Scipione Lacorcia, who represented the culmination of the style in early 17th century Naples.
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Graindelavoix : ensemble
Björn Schmelzer : Artistic director
