Vergine Bella: Madrigali da sonar – Madrigals and instr, arr. by ARCADELT, BASSANO, CIMA, MAINIERO, DE RORE, PALESTRINA, RUFFO – Arianna Savall, sop./ Il Desiderio/ Thomas Kügler – Aeolus

Vergine Bella: Madrigali da sonar – Madrigals and instrumental arrangements by ARCADELT, BASSANO, CIMA, MAINIERO, DE RORE, PALESTRINA, RUFFO – Arianna Savall, soprano/ Il Desiderio/ Thomas Kügler – Aeolus multichannel SACD AE-10146, 70:04 [Distr. by Albany] ****:
To answer the itching question first: yes, 40-year-old Arianna Savall is the daughter of viol player/cellist/founder of Alia Vox label Jordi Savall, and soprano Montserrat Figueras, and has been making a career as soprano and harpist for quite a while now, including performances with her own ensemble. Her voice is not unlike her late mother’s: plaintive, full of expression, and calmingly reassuring; she executes all of the roles here with authority and an almost regal dignity. Though this music is not noted for its virtuoso expressiveness, her voice fits nicely into the overall scheme, and I can’t imagine a better performance. Il Desiderio (“desire”) is a finely-knit band of flute, harp, lute, and viol players that more than have the measure of this sometimes exquisite music.
The focus is on those few years of the late Renaissance/ early Baroque (1550-1610) where a subtle transition was beginning to take place that fostered the origins of the early monodic canzonas and sonatas of the Baroque era. The art of the embellishment reached its apex here, and the concomitant development of that aspect of music filtered down into the instrumental realm as well, with the result that the literature was enhanced not only by the heightened expression of the singer, but also by the creation of instrumental accompaniments, and even purely instrumental arrangements as well. It was a wild and wooly time where madrigals, songs, and motets could be found in churches and living rooms, or even outside in the public arena, all found in differing guises according to the availability of the forces present. Concerns about exact instrumentation had not yet arisen, and the public instead marveled at the new concepts of color and sound that were invading their culture.
Renaissance music sounds wonderful in surround sound, and this one is no different. While the tone of this music is for the most part fairly somber, with many of the livelier pieces being tempered by minor mode, the overall effect is still one of professional competence and sophistication of presentation. The booklet notes are interesting and informative if badly translated.
—Steven Ritter