Monteverdi's Madrigals

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Image courtesy of Liceu

In an exploration of Claudio Monteverdi's complete madrigals, Liceu makes a further stop at the Seventh Book in which polyphony evolves towards more modern forms and more daring harmonies. The Settimo Libro de Madrigali, is dedicated to the Duchess of Mantua, Caterina de' Medici. By giving it the title Concerto, Monteverdi reflected his intention to achieve greater variety of form. It became a turning point in his output, after which he set out along new paths. The classical five-voice pattern, which remained unchanged in his first six books, is abandoned here and replaced by madrigals for one, two, three, four or six voices, alongside other types of vocal works. 

In the midst of these widely contrasting accents, forms and patterns, the instruments are assigned a key role instead of merely providing the continuo. 

The Seventh Book resembles an imaginary theatre featuring stories, episodes from love affairs, tragedies and even comedies about which we know neither the leading figures nor the time or place of the action. The madrigal is the perfect vehicle for expressing human passions. Monteverdi used it to experiment while also composing operas.

This period was the gateway to the Baroque era and the sound portraits conjured up by Monteverdi, the Oracolo della Musica, are theatrical experiences which are both exquisite and highly intense.

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