Dolcissima Mia Vita
Gesualdo’s fifth book of madrigals
Due to a corona infection, the concert originally planned for this evening at 20h00 cannot take place. In agreement with Collegium Vocale Gent and Klarafestival, we decided to replace 'Dolcissima Mia Vita' - Carlo Gesualdo’s Fifth Book of Madrigals by ‘Israelis Brünnlein’ - madrigals by Johann Herman Schein. This performance was recorded at the end of February 2021 in the Karmelietenkerk in Ghent. Tune in tonight at 20h00! On radio Klara, there's another alternative for the cancelled concert: they play Collegium Vocale Gent's 'O Dolce mio tesoro', Carlo Gesualdo’s Sixth Book of Madrigals. Enjoy your Friday night!
It’s well-known that in 1590, the eccentric composer Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa, found his wife and her lover in flagrante delicto and murdered them in cold blood. But is there a connection between this gruesome event and the spectacular sound world and emotionality of his madrigals?
Few pieces of music are as expressive and tormented as Gesualdo’s final collections, which included the Fifth Book of Madrigals. Published two years before his death in 1613 at the composer’s mansion outside Naples, the collection of dramatic jewels allow you to enter the mind of an uncompromising genius and taste the endless pain of love, grandiosely disguised as bittersweet desire!
The soloists of Collegium Vocale Gent, conducted by Philippe Herreweghe, guarantee that this will be a beautiful rendition. Gesualdo is a composer that has often been interpreted by Collegium Vocale Gent: in 2016, Philippe Herreweghe recorded his Sixth Book of Madrigals.
Flagey, Klarafestival
