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| GESUALDO: Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday |
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"This is an album release by The King's Singers by the Italian Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo. (An interesting, and sordid, short biography can be found here.) This article concludes with: He is considered to be one of the finest and certainly one of the most innovative composers of Italian madrigals in the late Renaissance. I have heard an unedited copy of this album and found his use of dissonance and phrasing to be way ahead of his time, creating very beautiful and haunting choral music. The listener will get the most from this music by guiding their listening with the liner notes, in a meditative environment like the Abby where it was recorded. The King's Singers made considerable effort to be very picturesque in their interpretation of the Lessons of the Holy Week story making the music come to new life even though it was written 400 years ago! --Doug Anderson, Owner DJ Records. Read the reviews!
“It was foreign to its time, and fascinating,” says King’s Singer, Robin Tyson. “Listening to the music of Byrd, for example, writing at the same time in England, it’s amazing then to come to Gesualdo. His incredibly troubled life, fervent religious beliefs and complex personality completely opened up his mind, and it shines through in his writing.” Written in six parts, these extraordinary responsories now form part of the King’s Singers concert repertoire, along with his madrigals. In this recording, made when The King’s Singers were staying in Douai Abbey in January of this year, they have been able to explore some of Gesualdo’s most intriguing compositions. Gesualdo was in a completely different position from his composer colleagues. His family wealth allowed him to be free to play, compose whenever and whatever he chose, and to publish his works without being beholden to a master or paymaster. What moved him to compose church music may well have been severe and increasing feelings of guilt, having organized and participated in the cold-blooded murder of his first wife. “Penitence never left him and the whole atmosphere of counter-reformational blackness permeates his church music. His choice of texts is characteristic. As with his preferred madrigal texts, these biblical words are full of suffering and self-reproach.” (Bo Holten). The music on this CD represents part of the liturgy for the Matins Offices on the final three days of Holy Week, the Triduum Sacrum, or Tenebrae, as they are known after the first word of one of the Good Friday responsories. Over the rest of this year, The King’s Singers will tour the Far East, the US and have an enviable schedule of European engagements. Demand is as strong as it’s ever been in their 35 years of music-making. The simple enjoyment of what they do at the highest level of vocal skill, has captured the imagination of the public all over the world. Now working with Signum Records, The King’s Singers are masters of their own recording destiny. Future repertoire on Signum will range from Byrd to American folk songs, and a DVD of ‘The best of the King’s Singers’. Having commissioned Ligeti, Berio and Maxwell Davies to name but a few, new works always remain high on their priority list. Further information on The King’s Singers can be found at www.kingssingers.com GESUALDO Track listing |