This “new” release from Concerto Italiano brings together two recordings originally issued on Opus 111 (11/97, 12/98) and a newly recorded instalment, thus completing Monteverdi's monumental Eighth Book of Madrigals. The first two discs were highly praised but both Concerto Vocale and La Venexiana have since issued complete recordings. I was particularly impressed by the former but Alessandrini's stature is such that even the slighter pieces which he has left till last command attention. As it happens, those are the very works that seem most uneven in Jacobs's set. In the majority of cases, Alessandrini seems nearer the mark: the closing piece of his new disc, “Ninfa che, scalza il piede”, demonstrates his acute stylistic affinity with this repertoire. Though one may be surprised by individual decisions, at this most fundamental level he is rarely outdone. All the same, excerpts of this book from the Consort of Musick's “Madrigali erotici” recording for Florilegium are still worth seeking out, and shouldn't be forgotten.

From a technical standpoint the third disc puts right the only real shortcoming of Alessandrini's earlier discs, alluded to by Jonathan Freeman-Attwood in his review of the Ballo delle Ingrate and the Combattimento: I mean the occasional patchiness of the instrumental ensemble, particularly the violins. A head-to-head comparison with Jacobs is instructive. The latter's instrumental ensemble is larger, and in the ensemble pieces there is a sense of fun verging on silliness that is quite endearing (his “Ardo, avvampo” is happily chaotic). I would not willingly do without it, but in what constitutes the “meat” of the set (“Hor ch'el ciel e la terra”, “Ogni amant'e guerrier”, not to mention the Combattimento) Alessandrini's dramatic flair, though less overtly theatrical, pays richer dividends, and in general his soloists (Testo in the Combattimento, for instance) also have the edge. Given the sheer scope and variety of Monteverdi's achievement, it is daunting to have to pronounce, but this is probably the strongest set of the three.