For those unaware, a sequel to Rinaldo Alessandrini’s 2017 Monteverdi recording, Night: Stories of Lovers and Warriors, Daylight. Stories Of Songs, Dances And Loves takes the story onwards to dawn with works celebrating the joys of dancing and singing in the sunlight, and the playful exchanges between lovers.

Through this highly expressive, stunningly emotive journey, Alessandrini tells us that this is his ultimate and definitive expression of the love he has borne for Monteverdi for 40 years.

Buttressed aloft by the seasoned voices of Concerto Italiano and an unusually diverse instrumental ensemble, this sequence of music gravitates towards the rising sun, setting hearts on fire, singing of love, joy, passion, while holding up a mirror to the radiant glories of nature.

1. Sinfonia: from Orfeo
2-3. Non si levava ancor l’alba novella (from Madrigals Book 2)
4. Sinfonia: Concerto (from Madrigals book 4)
5. Sù, sù us pastorella vezzosi (from Madrigals, guerrieri et amorosi)
6. Sù, sù,ù augelletti (from Madrigals Book 9)
7. Biagio Marini Gagliarda Seconda (Sonate da chiesa e da camera, Op. 8)
8. Sù, sù, sù ch’el giorno é fore (from Canzonetta 1584)
9. De la bellezza le dovute lodi (from Scherzi musicale)
10. Duri e penosi (from Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria Act 1)
11. Io mi son giovinetta (from Madrigals Book 4)
12. Zefiro torna (from Scherzi Musicale)
13. Andrea Falconiero Ciaccona-L’eroica
14. Sento un certo non so ché (from L’incoronazione di Poppea Act 2)
15. Biagio Marini Gagliardo seconda
16. Chiome d’oro bel Tesoro (from Canzonetta 1619)
17. Alla danze, alle gioie (from Madrigals Book 9) Biagio Marini Corrente nona
18. Movete al mio bel suon le piante snelle
19. Balletto entrata – balletto-gagliardo- canario-gagliardo-balletto- moresca (From Orfeo)
20. Gli arditi balli e l’armonia dei canti (from Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi)

With the scene most angelically set for a hymn to beauty and to love, all whilst confessing his fascination with the inexhaustible riches of this music, Alessandrini opens with the delicate Sinfonia that opens act 3 of Orfeo (and which also provides a link to the former recordings, of which started in the same way), before we are presented with the two-part madrigal Non si levava ancor l’alba novella (from Book 2, 1590).

Next up the mood lightens within the duo of Concerto settimo libro de’ madrigali, first bringing us the gently organic Sinfonia: Concerto (from Madrigals book 4) and the angelic Sù, sù us pastorella vezzosi (from Madrigals, guerrieri et amorosi), which are in turn followed by a stunning quartet that makes up Libro nono de’ madrigali: Sù, sù,ù augelletti (from Madrigals Book 9), the dancefloor twirl of Gagliarda Seconda (Sonate da chiesa e da camera, Op. 8), Sù, sù, sù ch’el giorno é fore (from Canzonetta 1584) and the emphatically cultured De la bellezza le dovute lodi (from Scherzi musicale).

These harmonic languages that about and surround the major and minor modes, whilst embracing being codified and exquisitely embroidered with smooth techniques to reinforce such a harmonic language, continue onward with the quartet Il ritorno di ulisse in patria (featuring soprano Sonia Tedla, tenor Valerio Contaldo, along with soprano Monica Piccinini and tenor Raffaele Giordani): Duri e penosi (from Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria Act 1), the righteously chorused Io mi son giovinetta (from Madrigals Book 4), the simply divine, rhythmic even Zefiro torna (from Scherzi Musicale) and then the vibrantly ensconced, instrumental dance of Ciaccona-L’eroica.

The latter third of this most welcoming of collections continues onward with a quartet from L’ incoronazione di poppea: Sento un certo non so ché (from L’incoronazione di Poppea Act 2), the palatial elegance of Gagliardo seconda, the entrancing soprano duet from Monica Piccinini and Sonia Tedla within Chiome d’oro bel Tesoro (from Canzonetta 1619) and then the gentle bombastic Alla danze, alle gioie (from Madrigals Book 9) and the additional gentle embrace of Corrente nona.

Then we get the final trilogy on offer here from Alessandrini, the works within Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi: the stunningly layered (to perfection, I might add) Movete al mio bel suon le piante snelle, the delicately embroidered Balletto entrata – balletto-gagliardo- canario-gagliardo-balletto- moresca (From Orfeo), the album closing on the triumphant Gli arditi balli e l’armonia dei canti (from Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi).

As Rinaldo Alessandrini himself admits, “I count myself among the company of those who are in love with the Monteverdian ideal that everything is theatre: a theatre made up of humanity, an aspiration towards the sublime, and a happy resolution of life’s sorrows through love, the healing power of song, and the energetic exaltation of the dance.”

“This recording is intended as my final, definitive declaration of love for Monteverdi. Having associated with him for more than forty years, I owe him a considerable part of everything I’ve learnt.”

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