Monteverdi's fourth book of madrigals, published in Venice in 1603, marks a milestone in his artistic development. Its contents had been composed over a ten-year period, and the dedication, which remarks that Monteverdi had intended to present some of the madrigals in manuscript to Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, but had been forestalled by the latter's death, is not without stylistic ramifications. At Ferrara, Alfonso had employed a brilliant ensemble of virtuoso singers during the 1580s, and distinct traces of the virtuoso style are present in the Quarto libro. This is most obvious in lighter pieces such as ''Io mi son giovinetta'' and ''Quel augellin che canta'' where elaborate diminutins excecuted by two or more voices simultaneously echo the style of pieces by Luzzaschi and others composed for the Ferrarese Concerto di donne. During the 1590s a similar group had been founded at the Mantuan court where Monteverdi worked, and most of the pieces in the fourth book were written for professionals. Inspired by these possibilities, Monteverdi had evolved a style of writing that is not only technically demanding for the singer, but is also, in its detailed sensitivity to textual nuance, demanding for the listener.
This latest foray into the world of Monteverdi's madrigals by The Consort of Musicke is, to my mind, markedly more successful than its predecessors. For one thing the present group, different in composition from that which recorded the Quinto libro (410 291-1OH, 9/84), gives the impression of being more integrated, perhaps even of having worked harder at these demanding pieces. For another, the reaction to the heightened emotions expressed in the texts of these madrigals seems more refined, more carefully thought out. In other words, the sheer dramatic range of these performances is wider and more intense, more responsive to the seemingly endless and effortless fund of highly-charged musico-textual relationships which the composer calls upon. All this is helped by a better feel for the sound qualities of the Italian language. This is a fine achievement, technically assured as one might expect from these seasoned performers, but also characterized by a more convincing interpretational approach. The recording is sensitive.'