Monteverdi: Scherzi Musicali (2009)

The title of the ensemble La Venexiana's ninth installment in its Monteverdi series Scherzi Musicali 1732 on the Glossa label, is somewhat misleading ... Show synopsis The title of the ensemble La Venexiana's ninth installment in its Monteverdi series Scherzi Musicali 1732 on the Glossa label, is somewhat misleading. Only about half of the selections come from the composer's 1732 collection, Scherzi Musicali, and only the solo works are included, so two of the Scherzi, for multiple voices, are missing. This is nonetheless a delightful CD that should be of strong interest to fans of the composer and early Baroque vocal music, and also advocates of lively (and daring) period performance practice. Conductor Claudio Cavina conceived of the album as a selection of light, playful music, so the general term "scherzi musicali" is an appropriate description. Several of the solo madrigals are in fact so spirited that it would be easy to imagine that they were modern pieces. Ohimè chi'io cado begins with a snappy walking bass that wouldn't be out of place in a jazz ensemble, and its vocal line could be mistaken for a torch song, which is just how soprano Emanuela Galli delivers... Hide synopsis