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harmonyharmony
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« on: 21:15:08, 16-10-2008 » |
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I don't know an awful lot about Gesualdo, though I have read the inquest into his wife's death and can talk a little bit about his place in music history.
Can anyone recommend some recordings? We don't have any in our library and I'm putting together a list of recommendations.
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'is this all we can do?' anonymous student of the University of Berkeley, California quoted in H. Draper, 'The new student revolt' (New York: Grove Press, 1965) http://www.myspace.com/itensemble |
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richard barrett
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« Reply #1 on: 21:30:31, 16-10-2008 » |
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There's a beautiful CD under the title O dolorosa gioia on which the Concerto Italiano ensemble combines a selection of Gesualdo with madrigals by some of his contemporaries. The complete recordings by La Venexiana of books 4 and 5 are just as good (with the rest eventually to come, I think), as is that of book 6 directed by Alan Curtis, which, when it came out in 1994, was the first Gesualdo recording really to take the intonational implications of the music on board - anything by Gesualdo recorded before that tends now to sound somewhat colourless.
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« Last Edit: 21:32:32, 16-10-2008 by richard barrett »
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harmonyharmony
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« Reply #2 on: 21:40:45, 16-10-2008 » |
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I slightly lied when I said that the library didn't have any recordings. We've got the recording of ‘Io parto’ e non piu dissi (from the 6th book) sung by The Singers of Venosa and conducted by Robert Craft, and some rather (IMO) colourless madrigals and performances on the disc I discussed here. There's a beautiful CD under the title O dolorosa gioia on which the Concerto Italiano ensemble combines a selection of Gesualdo with madrigals by some of his contemporaries.
I've really enjoyed the Concerto Italiano's recordings of Monteverdi, so I'd definitely like to hear that. The complete recordings by La Venexiana of books 4 and 5 are just as good (with the rest eventually to come, I think), as is that of book 6 directed by Alan Curtis
Great! Thanks for that. I see that they're both available from the River people, though one has to go to the crocodiles (or similar) for the Curtis recording. the intonational implications of the music on board I'd love to hear more about this... Could you expand? |
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'is this all we can do?' anonymous student of the University of Berkeley, California quoted in H. Draper, 'The new student revolt' (New York: Grove Press, 1965) http://www.myspace.com/itensemble |
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Martin
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« Reply #3 on: 21:50:01, 16-10-2008 » |
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oliver sudden
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« Reply #4 on: 22:06:11, 16-10-2008 » |
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Seconding the recommendation of the Hilliard Tenebrae discs. As far as intonational implications go, if you ain't heard this you ain't heard nothing yet.  |
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harmonyharmony
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« Reply #5 on: 22:10:23, 16-10-2008 » |
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As much as I like the Tenebrae, I think that we have to get some madrigals first... As far as intonational implications go, if you ain't heard this you ain't heard nothing yet.
That sounds like a very strong recommendation Mr Sudden. What's it all about then? |
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'is this all we can do?' anonymous student of the University of Berkeley, California quoted in H. Draper, 'The new student revolt' (New York: Grove Press, 1965) http://www.myspace.com/itensemble |
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richard barrett
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« Reply #6 on: 22:11:36, 16-10-2008 » |
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the intonational implications of the music on board I'd love to hear more about this... Could you expand? I'm not an expert of course, but: there seems to have been a certain consensus, before Curtis' research, that performing Gesualdo's music would have involved an "anticipation of equal temperament" in order to make it possible for singers to negotiate. Curtis points out in his liner notes that in Gesualdo's time arcicembali were being constructed with 53 keys to the octave, inferring that musicians in that time and place were much more sensitive to intonation than later and elsewhere was the case, so he argues that the thirds and triads in Gesualdo's music should be as far as possible purely tuned, in whatever context they occur. The result is that the harmony and part-writing sound more "logical", although no less strange. As indeed we hear on Ollie's (largely instrumental) recommendation. (Which I very strongly second by the way; it's absolutely essential.) I do not like the sound of the Hilliard Ensemble very much, though I haven't heard their Gesualdo. Andrew Parrott's recording of the Tenebrae does it for me. |
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Evan Johnson
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« Reply #7 on: 22:14:14, 16-10-2008 » |
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As far as intonational implications go, if you ain't heard this you ain't heard nothing yet. welcome back Ollie, how ya been?  |
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harmonyharmony
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« Reply #8 on: 22:19:04, 16-10-2008 » |
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Oh dear. I've just bought  and  and  and  And it's all your fault! Well, actually I only have myself to blame for asking really... |
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'is this all we can do?' anonymous student of the University of Berkeley, California quoted in H. Draper, 'The new student revolt' (New York: Grove Press, 1965) http://www.myspace.com/itensemble |
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harmonyharmony
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« Reply #9 on: 22:27:41, 16-10-2008 » |
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How about books on Gesualdo? I've been skimming this one:  to prepare for teaching. Is there anything better out there? [not that I'm doubting this book I hasten to add] There are a few articles mentioned in the Grove bibliography that I'll check out, but I'm wondering if anyone can recommend anything else. Curtis points out in his liner notes that in Gesualdo's time arcicembali were being constructed with 53 keys to the octave, inferring that musicians in that time and place were much more sensitive to intonation than later and elsewhere was the case, so he argues that the thirds and triads in Gesualdo's music should be as far as possible purely tuned, in whatever context they occur.
Do we know if Gesualdo was familiar with the arcicembalo? This is the question that inspired me to ask about books on the subject... I have no doubt that the approach to the music is correct, whatever the reasoning behind it, largely because it seems to concord with so many other things I've read (particularly about the revival of Ancient Greek ideas about tuning) over the last week or so. [add] and it just strikes me that there is a bit of a connection to Scelsi here... (except for the murderous bit) possibly maybe? or is that just too twee a connection for words? [/add] |
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« Last Edit: 22:40:18, 16-10-2008 by harmonyharmony »
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'is this all we can do?' anonymous student of the University of Berkeley, California quoted in H. Draper, 'The new student revolt' (New York: Grove Press, 1965) http://www.myspace.com/itensemble |
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opilec
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« Reply #10 on: 22:53:39, 16-10-2008 » |
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Oh dear. I've just bought That recording of Book 5 is really remarkable.  And so -- for those wanting a really exceptional recording of the Tenebrae -- is this:  I did quite a double-take when a friend invited me along to hear the King's Singers performing the Tenebrae on Maundy Thursday a couple of years ago on their home turf; previously I'd only thought of that group as sort of up-market barber shop. How wrong I was! |
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richard barrett
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« Reply #11 on: 23:56:41, 16-10-2008 » |
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Do we know if Gesualdo was familiar with the arcicembalo? Alan Curtis tells us that Luzzaschi played one (indeed with 53 pitches to the octave) at Gesualdo's second wedding in 1594. |
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richard barrett
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« Reply #12 on: 00:00:19, 17-10-2008 » |
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And so -- for those wanting a really exceptional recording of the Tenebrae -- is this: Really? (Not that I am doubting you.) How does it compare with Parrott? What I like about the latter is that he intersperses chant between the Gesualdo pieces which has the effect of heightening them even further. |
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rauschwerk
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« Reply #13 on: 08:18:23, 17-10-2008 » |
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I doubt whether it's possible to gain a full appreciation of Gesualdo's music without actually singing it. My long-established ensemble has tackled Dolcissima mia vita (Madrigals, Book 5) on a few occasions. Our audiences are invariably nonplussed. Even with my absolute pitch, I'm always hanging on for dear life in the closing bars. How my colleagues manage it I've no idea, but if the pitch doesn't drop we count ourselves lucky. If all the thirds and sixths are pure that's a huge bonus!
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harmonyharmony
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« Reply #14 on: 08:55:57, 17-10-2008 » |
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Do we know if Gesualdo was familiar with the arcicembalo? Alan Curtis tells us that Luzzaschi played one (indeed with 53 pitches to the octave) at Gesualdo's second wedding in 1594. Gosh! Thanks Richard. the thirds and triads in Gesualdo's music should be as far as possible purely tuned, in whatever context they occur. The result is that the harmony and part-writing sound more "logical", although no less strange.
Horizontal as well as vertical? That must make for some interestingly annotated parts, unless it's self evident from the scores once you get into the flow of it... I doubt whether it's possible to gain a full appreciation of Gesualdo's music without actually singing it. My long-established ensemble has tackled Dolcissima mia vita (Madrigals, Book 5) on a few occasions. Our audiences are invariably nonplussed. Even with my absolute pitch, I'm always hanging on for dear life in the closing bars. How my colleagues manage it I've no idea, but if the pitch doesn't drop we count ourselves lucky. If all the thirds and sixths are pure that's a huge bonus!
I've always wondered how musicians with absolute pitch cope with different standards for pitch and temperament. I'm not really sure that you get full (whatever that means) appreciation of any music unless you perform it. I've never sung Gesualdo but I love it. |
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'is this all we can do?' anonymous student of the University of Berkeley, California quoted in H. Draper, 'The new student revolt' (New York: Grove Press, 1965) http://www.myspace.com/itensemble |
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