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memphis is the new austin …at least that’s what i’m told
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Lately I have been listening quite some time to Monteverdi’s madrigals, which - to me - are a recently acquired taste. But, as I spend more time listening to this music, I discover ever more subtleties in the interpretation and in how these pieces represent musically what the lyrics are about. There is much beauty to be discovered in this late-Renaissance music.
Monteverdi published his Third Book of Madrigals in 1592, just two years after arriving at Mantua’s Gonzaga court. Vincenzo Gonzaga had decided upon imitating the Ferrara court’s famous female vocal ensemble and musical establishment, and Monteverdi had been accepted to play the violin in the court ensemble. These a cappella madrigals stem from a time when the future more dramatic multi-part madrigals had still not appeared in Monteverdi’s mind, even if three short two- and three-part pieces are included. But even so, these pieces were not anymore the madrigal to be interpreted by amateur courtiers, but by trained voices, and their correspondence between lyrics and music are meant to stir emotion and move the listeners’ hearts.
There are several complete recordings of Monteverdi’s Third Book available. I find it quite difficult to name my favorite version, but there certainly are two recordings which I like the best - these are the two ‘Italian’ versions by Claudio Cavina’s La Venexiana (2002) and Alessandro Rinaldi’s Concerto Italiano (2020). Both versions have wonderful ensemble singing, with perfectly integrated voices. La Venexiana’s interpretation is maybe a little more refined, with a sound more uniform and polished. But that in my mind doesn’t make it necessarily the better interpretation - Concerto Italiano presents us with powerful and attractive singing, maybe pulling even harder at the strings of their listeners’ hearts.
In 2016, the ensemble Le Nuove Musiche from Holland released another complete recording of Book 3, together with Book 4, as part of their recording project to release all nine books of Monteverdi’s madrigals. This too is an interpretation one should listen to, although I prefer the two Italian versions.
And then there is the version by Anthony Rooley and his Consort of Musicke, included in the 2003 release of the complete Monteverdi madrigals on Erato. This interpretation has the distinct advantage of two fabulous female soprano voices - Emma Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb. But the ensemble singing as such has not the quality of either of the three interpretations mentioned before.
So, if anybody has its own favorite version of this the Third Book, or feels bored enough to embark on a long session comparing some of the versions here presented, I’d be interested to get your personal take on which version you prefer.
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Yet another masterpiece. Makes me zen again after a hectic week. 
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This is my least favourite DT album, I think I only ever listened once.
I guess you prefer the earlier stuff (I like the older stuff as well)
The more I have listened to this album the more I have enjoyed it.
It’s really a super long concept album
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Yes, I think they lost their way a bit after Systematic Chaos and really never play those albums (though I bought them), although their most recent effort was much more like the old DT.
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I know I posted this last year but it is just so good thrash album that have to share while listening it again. At least listen first track Holy Wars… one of the best thrash songs ever! Great memories from Megadeth concert that included Pantera as warmup in the 90s.
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The great thing about the new monthly what are we listening to threads is that we can post our favourite albums each month 
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yes admins did not know what they were doing when splitting these…
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The Torture Never Stops 
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Fresh off the press:
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Thanks to @Simon_Arnold3 for alerting me to this one. Really promising. I suspect it will only improve with repeated listening.
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Thanks for the heads up, there’s still a few digital holes in the back catalogue. Can’t have too many copies of Loveless 
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