The eccentric nobleman Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613) became famous for the very bold harmonies in his madrigals and motets. Especially in his music for Silent Week (the week before Easter), those harmonic turns are as experimental as they are intensely sad. Death, guilt, betrayal and penance are the main themes here. Was there even a choir in Gesualdo's day that could sing this music? Paul Agnew doubts
… it. Nevertheless, he presents the music as if it were a gathering from Gesualdo's time. At the beginning, loud claps sound on a chest. The CD ends with a hefty roll. This sound (strepitus) is symbolic of the earthquake after Christ's death. In Gesualdo's time, such a sound might have sounded on Silent Saturday. Gesualdo composed a total of 27 responsories, divided between Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Silent Saturday. This CD features only those for Maundy Thursday. This in turn has the advantage of leaving room for some kind of liturgical context. Thus the motets are always accompanied by matching (Gregorian chant) readings. (HJ)more
