Monteverdi: Heaven and Earth

An outstanding collection of vocal music by Claudio Monteverdi presents an exquisitely varied programme on the theme of love in all its conflicting emotions, its joys and sweet pains affecting gods and mere mortals. An all-star cast including Carolyn Sampson, Sarah Connolly, Charles Daniels and James Gilchrist is joined by The King’s Consort’s highly colourful instrumental ensemble, recorded in the unsurpassed acoustic of St Jude-on-the-Hill, London. The CD comes complete with a 48 page booklet with authoritative liner notes by renowned Monteverdi scholar Prof. John Whenham, together with full texts and translations.

The delicious programme includes the melancholyLamento della Ninfa, the virtuoso Zefiro torna, a series of exquisite love duets, Orfeo’s famousPossente spirto, a plangent lament from Poppea, and Monteverdi’s magnificent Hor che’l ciel, whose final bars see the upper voices rise through nearly two octaves, creating one of the most spectacular endings in all baroque music.

Track Listings:

Toccata (from Orfeo)
Ritornello & Dal mio permesso (from Orfeo)
Zefiro torna (from Scherzi musicali, 1632)
Ohimè, dov'è il mio ben (from Seventh Book of Madrigals)
Chiome d'oro (from Seventh Book of Madrigals)
A Dio, Roma (from L’Incoronazione di Poppea)
A Dio, Florida bella (from Sixth Book of Madrigals)
Interotte speranze (from Seventh Book of Madrigals)
Lamento d'Arianna “Lasciatemi morire” (from Sixth Book of Madrigals)
Possente spirto (from Orfeo)
O come sei gentile (from Seventh Book of Madrigals)
Lamento della Ninfa (from Eighth Book of Madrigals)
Cruda Amarilli (from Fifth Book of Madrigals)
Hor che'l ciel, e la terra (from Eighth Book of Madrigals)

“Peerlessly performed and faultlessly recorded”
(The Independent)

“If I were only able to have one disc of works by Monteverdi this would have to be the one.”

(The Classical Reviewer)