Claudio Monteverdi - Madrigals Book 1

IF Mozart's prolific and precocious outpourings astound you then prepare to tickle your ears with the offerings from another young composer who produced the majority of this CD's contents by the time he was just 19 years old.

Don't get me wrong...I am not merely impressed by his tender years, but have always had a passion for madrigals, and Monteverdi in particular, as it was these very works that sucked me into the world of classical music.

Those luscious chords, created by modes rather than scales, can be used to create the most delicious disonances and harmonies specifically written for voices.

Not only was the teenage Monteverdi an absolute master of his craft, but he was pushing the boundaries of classical music to the extent that his work changed the face of music and brought it in line with modern music as we know it today.

Published in Venice in 1587, the first book of Madrigals was his third major work. These songs for five voices were the ultimate social status symbols - the haute cuisine of the secular menu.

But not only does this aural feast provide the full complement of courses, there is an added tangy treat in store in the form of some manuscript works over and above the official printed sources. Don't forget to leave a little space to appreciate these final five tracks, which offer a completely different texture with the addition of instruments.

Marco Longhini, who conducts this performance, has included some notes explaining why the musicians of Delitiae Musicae chose to reharmonise Monteverdi's works, changing the third in the final cadence chords from minor to major! How can you do this if the music is modal? I may not be an expert, but if an expert has written it like this, then surely that is how it is supposed to be.

Transposing some of the pieces down a fourth so that the notes are more easily reached is not quite as bad, except for those listeners with perfect pitch who are intimate with the works already.

These aspects do jar a little, but not enough to detract from the overall delight of listening to an entire CD of the masterful Monteverdi.

Naxos Early Music DDD 8.555307