Stile Antico, The other side of Carlo Gesualdo

Wie Carlo Gesualdo says, says extreme madrigals with whimsical melodies and insane harmonies. But in his motets, the ‘Prince of Venosa’ plays a different card. The Sacrarum cantionum form the soundtrack of a search for stillness, clarity, and order. The ever-strong Stile Antico presents the most beautiful five-part Latin songs by Gesualdo with an unadorned transparency: each voice is audible separately, while the parts together form an organic sound fabric that constantly reveals new timbres and textures. This rarely performed collection – re-examined for the occasion by the Alamire Foundation – shows a Gesualdo who is not only experimental but also deeply spiritual: a fascinating sound portrait of one of the most remarkable artistic personalities from around 1600.