An immersive performance of Barbara Strozzi’s complete First Book of Madrigals (Primo Libro di Madrigali), opus 1. Songs from a Beautiful Mouth.
“I reverently consecrate this first work, which I, as a woman, all too ardently send forth into the light, to the august name of Your Highness, so that under your Oak of Gold it may rest secure from the lightening bolts of slander prepared for it.”
Barbara Strozzi to Vittoria della Rovere, duchess of Tuscany, in the dedication to Opus 1
Sung from memory and with no conductor, seven singers and a rich continuo group will work with stage director Thomas Guthrie to create an engaging, sensual performance of these virtuoso pieces that explore all facets of love, from passion through rejection to final retirement.
