LA VENEXIANA
With the “invention” of opera in the early 17th century came a major change in the prevailing musical taste: instead of writing elaborate, polyphonic madrigals, composers increasingly featured the solo voice in the new genre of the monody and began creating dramatic ensemble pieces. Gabriele Palomba and his ensemble La Venexiana shine a spotlight on this turning point in music history, performing late madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi and works by some of his younger contemporaries, including Tarquinio Merula, Alessandro Grandi, and Maurizio Cazzati.