Monteverdi String Band, Nicolas Mulroy, Faye Newton, Simon Wall, Oliver Webber

Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda took words by the Italian Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso and used the newly expressive vocal techniques of the Baroque to create a miniature masterpiece of experimental music-drama.

The Monteverdi String Band presents a unique staged version that brings this “passion-fight” vividly to life in carnival fashion, with poetry and swordsmanship, setting it (as Monteverdi recommended) amid a colourful programme of complementary and contrasting instrumental pieces and madrigals, both sung and arranged for strings.

Claudio Merulo – Canzona (instrumental)
Claudio Monteverdi – Cruda Amarilli (instrumental)
Giovanni Maria Artusi – The imperfections of modern music (from L’Artusi, overo Delle imperfettioni della moderna musica ragionamenti dui)
Riccardo Rognoni – Diminutions on Cipriano de Rore’s Anchor che col partire
Claudio Monteverdi – Ohimé ch’io cado, ohimé (vocal)
Claudio Monteverdi – Ah dolente partita (instrumental)
Claudio Monteverdi – Response to Artusi, with selected glosses from his brother, Giulio Cesare Monteverdi
Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger – Preludio
Girolamo Dalla Casa – Diminutions on Cipriano de Rore’s A la dolc’ombra de le belle frondi
Claudio Monteverdi – Ohimé, dov’è il mio ben, dov’è il mio core? (vocal)
Girolamo Frescobaldi – Capriccio sopra la Battaglia (from Toccate d’intavolature di cimbalo et organo, Libro Primo, Rome, 1615/1637)
Claudio Monteverdi - Moresca (from L’Orfeo)
Giovanni Girolamo Kapsperger – Passacaglia
Claudio Monteverdi – Tempro la cetra (vocal)
Giovanni Rovetta – Canzon a 4
Claudio Monteverdi – Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda