Collegium Vocale Gent Perform Near-Perfect Gesualdo
By Ralph Graves
Carlo Gesualdo was a tortured soul. Its physical manifestations included spousal abuse and even a double murder. And it’s there in the music he wrote.
Gesualdo was composing right at the end of the Renaissance. Within a decade there would be a stylistic sea change.
The Baroque Era replaced church modes with major and minor keys. It simplified harmony and minimized polyphony. And many of the older forms, like madrigals, didn’t survive.
In many ways, Gesualdo’s music looks past the Baroque to the Romantic era — and further. His extreme chromaticism sounds as fresh today as it did for 16th-century audiences.
This collection features his fourth book of madrigals. This Opus 5 set is for five voices and was published in 1596. At this time Gesualdo had a choir of professional singers on staff. So these works were not written for amateurs.
Philippe Herreweghe conducts the Collegium Vocale Gent in some sensitive and expressive performances. The singers have full, rich chordal sound. And when they split off into individual lines, they maintain a crystalline clarity. Most remarkable, though, is the accuracy.
Geusaldo uses chromatic motion to lean into emotional climaxes. These are hard to sing, but the Collegium Vocale Gent delivers. This is highly expressive music, and at times, a little unsettling.
If you’re familiar with Gesualdo, you should find this release outstanding. If you’re not, this is a great recording to start with.
Carlo Gesualdo: Silenzio mia
Il quatro libro di madrigali, 1596
Collegium Vocale Gent; Philippe Herreweghe, director
PHI LPH043
