Il Concerto Segreto

An exceptional amount of musical activity took place in the court of Ferrara during the latter years of the 16th century, in particular thanks to a remarkable trio of female voices who had been trained by Luzzasco Luzzaschi, the court's maestro di cappella. To hear them was a privilege that Alfonso d' Este allowed his guests only briefly and infrequently. Their repertoire was kept secret and was finally published -- and then only in part -- in 1601. The singers of La Nereide here devote their first recording to this collection in its entirety, reconstructing the conditions in which these works were created with harpsichord, viol and lute accompaniment: the harpsichord would have been played by Luzzaschi himself, whilst the three singers mastered the other instruments with as much skill as their voices.

Luzzasco Luzzaschi (1545-1607), Luca Marenzio (1553-1599) , Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) , Francesca Caccini (1587-1640)

• Luzzasco Luzzaschi: T'amo mia vita; O dolcezze amarissime d'Amore; Stral pugente d'Amore; Aura soave; Deh vieni ormai cor moi; Troppo ben puo; Cor mio deh non languire; Ch'io non t'ami cor moi; Non sa che sia dolore; O Primavera; Io mi son giovinetta; Occhi del pianto moi
  +Claudio Monteverdi: Come dolce hoggi l'auretta
  +Francesca Caccini: Le tre sirene; Le tre damigelle; Coro delle piante incantate
  +Luca Marenzio: Belle ne fe' natura

November 2023