One of the primary characteristics of Italian music is the power of sudden contrasts. So here’s a contrast for you: Our first concert of the season was the largest we’ve ever had and our second is one of the smallest in recent memory, as we engage one of the most beguiling of all early music repertoires, the a cappella Italian madrigal.
The madrigal was one of the true tests of a composer’s skills in the Renaissance. The importance of depicting the emotions of the texts with ingenuity, originality, and flair increased, and composers used and improved on their best techniques; patrons had their most skilled performers to sing their works. Madrigals evolved from their humble, light-hearted beginnings into serious works of art, marked by variety, contrast, and quite a bit of humor.
TEMP's expert vocal ensemble brings to life some of these small gems, a few of which are in the Top 10 Renaissance Hits, such as Il bianco e dolce cigno by Jacques Arcadelt and Ancor che col partire by Cipriano de Rore. Many are rarely, if ever, performed locally: Luca Marenzio’s Satiati amor for 6 parts and O sonno, a bewitchingly insightful piece for 4 parts about the ‘elusiveness of sleep’ by Cipriano de Rore, are both revelatory and powerful. (There are, of course, a few pieces that were obviously meant for fun and pure entertainment, such as Orazio Vecchi’s 6-voice Tiridola, and others.)
The repertoire will come from the time-period of about 1535-1600, and will include three of Monteverdi’s many wonderful works from his Renaissance practice. And, of course, the concert would not be complete without Verdelot’s touching and moving title madrigal, Italia Mia.
Featured singers include TEMP regulars Gitanjali Mathur, Meredith Ruduski, Cayla Cardiff, Stephanie Prewitt, Paul D’Arcy, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, David Lopez, Brett Barnes, and Thann Scoggin, with guests Ryland Angel (countertenor, New York) and Ron Downs (bass, Maryland) in his first TEMP performance. As a special treat, lutenist Scott Horton will perform a few versions of madrigals arranged for lute by the composers as well as by celebrated lutenists of the Renaissance.
The Italian madrigal in the 16th century was emotional, witty, daring, celebratory, passionate, sensual, experimental, and...gorgeous! These four-to-eight-part works are ideally suited for the intimate and lovely acoustic of First English Lutheran Church, located just north of the UT campus.
Preservare il passato.
Arricchire il presente.
Coinvolgere il futuro.
Si tratta di musica antica in una luce completamente nuova. Unisciti a noi.
