This new anthology of sixteenth-century Italian madrigals, available as yet only on CD, is something of a triumph, even if there are several serious drawbacks to it. The singing is good (though, strangely, we aren't told the names of the six performers); the choice of pieces is interesting; and, for a CD, the price at round £8.00 is remarkably low. I wonder, however, just how many listeners will judge this a false economy on two counts? First, the disc comes without texts, translations or summaries in the supporting documentation, and as Mark Brown rightly says in the extremely meagre insert booklet, the words of a madrigal are ''all-important''. Fortunately, ten of the works appear in the Oxford Book of Italian Madrigals (OUP), and most of the other pieces are fairly standard repertoire (Lassus's Matona mia cara and Monteverdi's Lasciatemi morire, for example); but it's frustrating having to search elsewhere for the words. Also disappointing is the quality of the recorded sound, which I can only describe as unexciting by general CD standards.
Nevertheless, the performances all but make up for the defects in presentation. Although slightly polite in their ways, mellow in tone and unmistakably English in origin (however good their Italian pronunciation), the members of the Amaryllis Consort take the music to heart and perform with gusto, humour and, where appropriate, with power. The tuning is very clean indeed, even in the chromatic slitherings of Marenzio's Cruda Amarilli or the two Gesualdo madrigals, rhythmic momentum is well maintained and there is some excellent chording. In several of the lighter pieces a renaissance double-harp provides continuo accompaniment, and this same instrument—again, played anonymously—also contributes four solo items by Negri and Mainerio. Don't expect the luxury of spread chords and glissandos, by the way; the performances are chordal, abrasive in tone and authoritative.
Absence of texts and dull sound-quality apart, this issue gave me very great pleasure. It's also perhaps the best comprehensive survey of the Italian madrigal currently on the market—best both in terms of the selection of pieces and the acceptability of the interpretations. For those without CD equipment, an LP version is said to be forthcoming. '