C. Monteverdi: Il settimo libro de madrigali (1619) (Seconda parte)

The madrigals of Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) are an essential catalogue in the history of music and represent the culmination of a genre. In their evolution, however, they also give way to the birth of a new one: opera. Grouped into nine books published between 1587 and 1651, the last posthumously, the madrigal cycle constitutes a fascinating and poetic journey towards the origins of opera that the Liceu began in the 2021-2022 season.

Five years separate the publication of Sesto Libro de’ Madrigali (1614) and Concerto. Settimo Libro de’ Madrigali (1619), both belonging to Claudio Monteverdi’s Venetian period. However, the Settimo Libro marks a decisive break with the previous tradition. The very title, Concerto, refers to the union of heterogeneous elements and announces a new formal and expressive conception.

For the first time, Monteverdi abandons the fixed five-voice setting and opts for a diverse combination of formations—especially duets—together with “other genres of song” such as arias, canzonette, pieces in stile rappresentativo, and a ballo. All these works are accompanied by basso continuo, here enriched with a more elaborate instrumental layout, in two ensembles differentiated by tessitura.

This transformation is not only a response to market demands, but the result of a deeper evolution of musical language. The book opens with a programmatic preface that invites the listener on a journey through human emotions. The individual voice gains prominence and the relationship between music and text intensifies until it reaches a true dramatic dimension.

In Rinaldo Alessandrini’s interpretation at the head of Concerto Italiano, this vision unfolds with clarity and sensitivity, thanks to a refined, expressive performance deeply faithful to the Monteverdian spirit. The Settimo Libro thus reveals itself as a work that moves directly and places the listener at the very centre of emotional experience.

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