Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

The 'Responsoria Et Alia Ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae Spectantia (1611)' by Carlo Gesualdo de Venosa, to give both the collection and the composer their full titles, come from near the end of his troubled life. Gesualdo was born circa 1561 and in 1590 took the life of his allegedly unfaithful wife and her lover, an act for which he spent the rest of his life attempting to make atonement before his death in 1613. Over three CDs Gesualdo's creative musical response to the Passion of the Christ is interspersed with spiritual madrigals from some of his best-known contemporaries: Luzzaschi, Marenzio, de Macque and Vinci, whose religious texts further underline the madrigalesque (if you know what I mean) nature of the Responsoria. Also included are two comparative rarities from Gesualdo's sacred output, "In Te Domine Speravi" and "Ne Reminiscaris, Domine". La Compagnia del Madrigale, a consort of six superlative singers, give an exquisite performance and the package has been produced with loving attention to detail. However it could be argued that a three CD set is too much of a good thing. Chances are, if you are sufficiently interested in Carlo Gesualdo to consider buying this rather expensive set you may well already own some of the material. I am certain that the performance of La Compagnia can stand comparison with any other sextet and if there are any Gesualdo fans reading this then you will want this - whatever the price - in addition to whatever else you already have in your collection. But for newcomers this is not the best place to start unless your budget is such that you can afford the very best.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.