Monteverdi's eighth book of madrigals is a monumental tome, containing nearly 40 individual works. The madrigals in Book VIII are culled from Monteverdi's work of the previous two decades; the pieces are carefully arranged into particular sequences, suggesting that the book be examined as a whole work rather than an arbitrarily ordered collection. Many of the pieces in the collection are in "genere rappresentativo" as opposed to the madrigals "senza gesto" (without gesture), indicating that the performance of the book would have been at times highly theatrical. The overall ordering of the book follows the pair of adjectives in the title. The first half is comprised of "madrigali guerrieri" (warlike madrigals); the second is made of "madrigali amorosi" (amorous madrigals). Each subdivision of the book is marked by a madrigal for larger-than-normal vocal and instrumental forces. After the sinfonia (for two violins, viola da brazzo, and basso continuo) that introduces the whole book, the subsequent prologue begins the "guerrieri" section. A pair of six-voice madrigals with a smaller instrumental ensemble segues into the next section, which contains several duets and trios "without gesture." The subsequent piece, Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, tells the story of a tragic battle in which Tancredi deals a fatal blow to Clorinda before lifting her visor and realizing, for the first time, that she is a fair maiden rather than a male foe. It is in this piece that we first see an important innovation of Monteverdi's: the stile concitato. Consisting of rapid, prolonged repetitions of single notes, this "agitated style" underscores poignant images such as the comparison of the combatants to "two rival bulls full of burning anger." To the performers the composer provided some rather detailed suggestions: "Clorinda should enter on foot and carrying a weapon, followed by Tancredi, also armed, and atop a horse...The movements and gestures of the singers should be determined by the requirements of the poetry -- not too much, not too little." The Combattimento is followed by a ballo, which includes singing, pantomime, and dancing.

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Performers:

Trisdee na Patalung, conductor
Daphne Ramakers, soprano (Ninfa)
Brenden Gunnell, tenor
Wiard Witholt, baritone
Dennis Wilgenhof, bass
Israel Golani, theorbo
Tal Canetti, cello
Location (Concertgebouw, Amsterdam)
Date (December 22, 2006)

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*Download the audio files free here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monteverdi_-_Lamento_della_Ninfa.ogg