Capriccio Stravagante: La Pellegrina, Intermedii 1

Dorothée Leclair, Soprano; Monika Mauch, Soprano; Pascal Bertin, Alto; Stephan van Dyck, Tenor; Jean-François Novelli, Tenor; Antoni Fajardo, Bass; Capriccio Stavagante; Renaissance Orchestra; Collegium Vocal Gent; Skip Sempé, musical direction

Primo Intermedio (16'22) L'armonia delle sfere (The Harmony of the Spheres) Music by Cristofano Malvezzi (1547-1599), Antonio Archilei (1550-1612) or Emilio de' Cavalieri (c.1550-1602); Secondo Intermedio (8'17) La gara fra Muse e Piridi (The Muses defeat the Pierides in a singing contest) Music by Luca Marenzio (1553/4-1599); Terzo Intermedio (5'33) Il combattimento pitico d'Apollo (Apollo slays the Python at Delphi) Music by Luca Marenzio; Quarto Intermedio (9'57) La regione de' demoni (The Realm of the Demons) Music by Giulio Caccini (c.1545-1618), Cristofano Malvezzi and Giovanni de' Bardi (1534-1612); Quinto Intermdio (12'11) Il canto d'Arione (Arion and the Dolphin) Music by Luca Marenzio, Cristofano Malvezzi and Jacopop Peri (1561-1633); Sesto Inermedio (16'45) La discesa d'Apollo e Bacco col Ritmo e l'Armonia (The Gift of Harmony and Rhythm to Mankind) Music by Dristofano Malvezzi and Emilio de' Cavalieri Interview CD: 1-6 Conversation entre Skip Sempé et Arnaud Merlin (en français), 7-12 Skip Sempé in conversation with Lindsay Kemp (in English)

The Florentine Musical Entertainments for the 1589 wedding of Ferdinando de’ Medici & Christine of Lorraine Florence, 19 October 1587 : Francesco de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany dies with his wife under suspicious circumstances. His brother Ferdinando inherits the title, leaves the monastery for worldly aspirations including finding a wife. On 2 May 1589, he married Christine of Lorraine, granddaughter of Catherine de Medici, mother of the King of France. As was the custom at European courts, the wedding was accompanied with splendid festivities, each one outshining the last, to convey the image of the new monarchy. The highlight of the 1589 Medici festivities was the wedding-day performance of La Pellegrina. Indeed, La Pellegrina, the most important of the mythic creations of the Medici court, can be considered one of the last dreams of Renaissance music-theatre. Less than a decade later, opera was born. The composers of the music of La Pellegrina provided the incentive for the creation of the first operas by Peri, Caccini, and Monteverdi. Monteverdi’s Orfeo was the first opera to rely upon the large and colourful “Intermedio” orchestra. La Pellegrina demands opulent vocal and instrumental forces. Rather than reconstructing an historic event, Sempé has revived a narrative performance style, concentrating on the bold, virtuoso gestures of this exuberant music – from solo monody to 6 part madrigals to music in 12, 15, 18 and 30 parts. Skip Sempe’s new performing edition features the Paradizo label débuts of both the Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra and the celebrated Collegium Vocale Gent. The Capriccio Stravagante Orchestra is the largest and most luxurious gathering yet assembled for the performance of masterpieces from this Golden Age of musical creativity. This Renaissance Orchestra offers virtuoso performers on highly distinctive musical instruments whose playing techniques are completely unknown to classically trained instrumentalists and audiences. Complete with Renaissance violins, viols, recorders, cornetti, sackbuts, lutes, harps, harpsichords, virginals, and organs, the Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra also features glamorous voices and consort singers with a focus on dramatic intent yet to be fully experienced in this repertoire. Original and essential packaging! An exhaustive essay by Skip Sempé illuminates both the research and his views on the performance of La Pellegrina. The work is considered in the context of the history of the Medici Intermedii, the source research, synopsis of the themes and the creators of the Intermedii, along with a section on the invention of modern stagecraft and the creation of opera. A second CD with a 36 minute interview with Skip Sempé and Lindsay Kemp (from BBC and Gramophone) is also included. Complete with numerous musical examples, the interview is conceived as a continuation the booklet in the form of conversation. A perfect way to discover more about La Pellegrina, a milestone in the history of music that celebrates the birth of opera.

Price: $22.98