Madrigal

From the middle of the sixteenth century until opera took over in the seventeenth, the madrigal was the most prestigious secular form in Italy. As the music grew more demanding, the first professional vocal ensembles outside the church came into being.

The programme brings together madrigals by two composers who were pioneers in their day but are little known today. Maddalena Casulana (c. 1544–c. 1590) was the first woman in Western music history to have an entire collection of her music published. Vittoria Aleotti (c. 1575–after 1620) was probably the same person as Raffaella Aleotti, who continued to compose after entering a convent.

The early music is paired with madrigals of our own time: Salvatore Sciarrino's 12 Madrigali.