Taken literally, the slyly clever title
'Round M is a pretty accurate description of this album because it includes not only four madrigals by
Monteverdi, but pieces by three contemporaries who worked around him in much the same style and aesthetic. There is also one piece by contemporary composer
Antonio Eros Negri, an elaboration of
Lamento della ninfa, one of
Monteverdi's most famous works, which is included on the album. Also included is
Giovanni Felice Sances'
Usurpator tiranno, which has an almost identical ground bass as
Lamento della ninfa, and is melodically awfully close as well. It makes for a
Ninfa-heavy album, but
Monteverdi's original and the two other pieces are so appealing that listeners may not object at all.
Claudio Cavina and his ensemble
La Venexiana have irreproachable credentials as
Monteverdi experts. Their recordings of the complete Books of Madrigals and the operas
Orfeo and
Poppea set the standard for technically impeccable, intelligently informed, and devastatingly expressive performances, so when they set their hands to introducing jazz elements into the composer's music, listeners can be confident that they are not approaching it casually or with any lack of respect. One might not agree with all their decisions (the tone of the saxophone is so guttural and grainy that it clashes with the refined sound of the core ensemble, for instance), but it's clear that these treatments were arrived at thoughtfully. The outstanding soprano
Roberta Mameli, who was featured on many of
La Venexiana's albums, is equally in her element in the freedom she brings to these performances. Her tone, piercingly pure but full-bodied, and her easy feel for jazz immediately command attention and sometimes amazement.
Teatro d'Amore, a 2009 album of
Monteverdi madrigals featuring
Christina Pluhar and
L'Arpeggiata, brought a similar jazz feel to several of its tracks, including
Ohime ch'io cado. Counter tenor
Philippe Jaroussky's riff on it from that album is closely mirrored by
Mameli's and
Cavina's, but its jaunty walking bass and eccentric vocal line practically cry out for a loosely jazzy interpretation and might easily have inspired similar versions; besides, both performances are terrific. Listeners who enjoy one of these albums (which have three madrigals in common) are likely to also enjoy the other.
Glossa's sound is characteristically exceptional: immaculate and vividly present.~Stephen Eddins
![J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations [Vanguard]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0699675128128_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations [Vanguard]")
