BaL 19.05.12 Gesualdo

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930 Building a Library: Tess Knighton discusses her personal recommendations of Gesualdo on record.

[LeMartinPecheur]

I'm still hoping for a commercial release of 'Gesualdo: The original CCTV footage'

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm still hoping for a commercial release of 'Gesualdo: The original CCTV footage'

[Richard Tarleton]

0930 Building a Library: Tess Knighton discusses her personal recommendations of Gesualdo on record.

Professor Knighton's BALs are always most informative. We were told at one stage she even contemplated becoming a nun so as to gain access to rare Spanish manuscripts kept in monasteries and otherwise inaccessible to female academics...

[verismissimo]

Hardly a rush to participate on these boards. And, speaking personally, he's a composer I've neglected. Aside from a few brief things, all I seem to have in my "library" is a 1970s LP of the Deller Consort singing G's Benedictus and Miserere. It's lovely!

Maybe I'll be persuaded to invest.

[vinteuil]

Hardly a rush to participate on these boards. And, speaking personally, he's a composer I've neglected. / ... /

Maybe I'll be persuaded to invest.

... yes, I have so far never really taken to him - and find (somewhat to my surprise)I have not a single CD devoted to his work (tho' there are bits on various anthology-type CDs).

Well, perhaps I'll be persuaded

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I have the NAXOS CD and a cover disc from a BBC Music Mag - plus the Stravinsky and some of the Sciarrino arrangements. I'm looking forward to the BaL to see what else I should explore ... and probably invest in!

[gurnemanz]

I have only one disc which I bought a few years ago after rave reviews - the Fifth Book of Madrigals with La Venexiana. It is superb and will surely figure in the review.

[Richard Tarleton]

My curiosity was first aroused by a passing reference in an Alfred Brendel TV interview a while back. In his book of conversations with Michael Meyer, "The Veil of Order" (2001) he says (p. 79) :

...On the other hand I have become aware in recent decades of composers like Monteverdi and, above all, Gesualdo. Gesulado has since been one of my declared favourites, with his inexhaustible and inexplicable chromaticism that for me never loses any of its appeal....

Brendel has a way of making passing references which are but the tips of icebergs, viz a reference to Mussorgsky on the same page.

I have the Hilliard Ensemble's complete Tenebrae, and a Naxos disc of Madrigals Book 1. Like ferney I'm

looking forward to the BaL to see what else I should explore

Quite apart from anything else, he sounds a fascinating, not to say tragic, bloke, though not half as tragic as his unfortunate wife and her lover

[hedgehog]

I too am looking forward to this BAL. I have Venexxiana Book 4& 5 of the madrigals plus the Hilliard's performance of the Tenebrae - all magnificent CD's

I haven't heard the Concerto Italiano's CD which includes some Gesualdo madrigals - hope they might also get a look in as maybe a good way to get to know Gesualdo.

I have sung some of his madrigals as part of a 16 strong chamber choir - taxing, but very rewarding!