Berchem capriccios

Jacquet de Berchem: La Favola di Orlando
Ensemble Daedalus - Roberto Festa
Accent 95112 [CD]
Accent 10112 [CD]

Contents:

  1. Senza cavaddi, e senza nuddu aiutu (recitation)
  2. Sinfonia a 5 (4 viols, 4 recorders, curtal, harp, lute)
  3. Ledonne, i cavalier, l'arme, gliamori (4 voices, 4 viols, harp, lute)
  4. Orlando si chiamava ed era capu (recitation)
  5. O gran bontà de' cavallier antichi (4 voices, 4 recorders)
  6. Ora Orlando valenti guerrieru (recitation)
  7. La fiamma che m'abbruscia (4 recorders, lute)
  8. La notti Orlando (recitation)
  9. La donna sue che gli ritorn'a mente (tenor, 4 recorders, curtal, lute)
  10. Deh dove senza me, dolce mia vita (baritone, curtal, 3 sackbuts)
  11. Oh infelice, oh misero! che voglio (4 voices, curtal, harp, lute)
  12. Lu paladinu Orlando (recitation)
  13. Queste non son più lacrime, che fuore (4 voices)
  14. Non son, non son io quel che paio in viso (soprano, 4 viols, harp, lute)
  15. Chi mette il piè sull'amorosa pania (2 voices, 4 viols, recorder)
  16. I scagghi sfaiddavanu avuti 'nna l'aria (recitation)
  17. Vita della mia vita (4 viols)
  18. Gli agricultori accorti agl'altru' esempi (4 voices)
  19. E Dio per questo fa ch'egli va folle (soprano, 3 viols)
  20. Lu sensu di Orlando (recitation)
  21. El bisson (4 viols, curtal, 3 sackbuts, harp, lute, percussion)
  22. Era come un miquor sottile e molle (4 voices, 4 viols)
  23. Piangeano quei signor per la più parte (4 voices, lute)
  24. Ora quannu Orlando si vitti attornu (recitation)
  25. Haveasi Astolfo apparecchiato il vaso (4 voices, 4 viols, 4 recorders, curtal, 3 sackbuts, harp, lute)
  26. Signure miei! E d'accussi (recitation)
  27. Sinfonia a 5 (4 viols, 4 recorders, curtal, harp, lute)

Performers: Maria Cristina Kiehr (soprano), Eitan Sorek (tenor), Otto Rastbichler (tenor), Furio Zanasi (baritone), Markus Tapio (viol), Sophie Watillon (viol), Brigitte Gasser viol), Renée Stock (viol), Margherita Degli Esposti (recorder), Claire Freedman (recorder), Roberto Festa (recorder), Bernard Stilz (recorder), Michèle Vandenbroucke (curtal), Joost Swinkel (sackbut), Cas Gevers (sackbut), Henning Plumeyer (sackbut), Mara Galassi (harp), Hugh Sandilands (lute), Maurizio Maiorana (recitation)

Playing time: 54'

Recording date: March 1995

Jacquet de Berchem (c.1505-c.1565) was a Flemish composer working in Venice and Verona. He has the distinction of being the first composer to use the term capriccio as a musical title, in his publication of 1561, Il primo, secondo e terzo libro del capriccio. The present program comes from that publication, and makes use of settings of the poetic cycle Orlando furioso of Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533). That cycle portrays the legend of Roland, and Berchem's publication is apparently designed as a set of three "scenes" which provide settings in a semi-folk style.

The present recording also adopts a device out of current Sicilian puppet theater practice, and uses a reciter (cunastorie) to introduce the scenes.

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Todd M. McComb