For a monastic organist, Adriano Banchieri certainly had a flair for theater and a deep understanding of the foibles and flaws of human behavior. His madrigal comedies, closer to descriptions of party interactions than stories, are filled with lovably funny characters as well as party buffoons recognizable almost four hundred years after they were vividly depicted in musical snapshots. The details may have changed over the course of time, but the essential ingredients of humans entertaining themselves remains the same. Who couldn’t listen to the teasing, the bantering, the flirting, the courting, the slightly suggestive tale-telling, or the somewhat grotesque (as in Gioco della passerina, wherein a sparrow is devoured body part by body part) and not recall the last office party, fraternity all-nighter, or Superbowl gathering? More than collections of engaging madrigals, Banchieri’s entertainments are collections of personalities wittily and sympathetically profiled in vocal raiment. In the end, however, it is the monastic Banchieri who steps forward and reminds us that life, however entertaining at any given moment, is not about seeking pleasure. Acts conclude seriously, not with rousing climaxes but with poignant reflections driven home through chromatically inflected lines and harmonically intense passagework.
Banchieri’s spirit is perfectly captured by Diego Fasolis and the Choir of Swiss Radio Lugano. Their interpretation lets the music live, allowing the narrative thread to be both tightly woven and loosely related. The madrigals remain stylistically representative of the period (1604-1608) while sounding as fresh as this morning’s society columns. The mood, one might almost say the Affekt (even if anachronistic to late Renaissance thought) of individual selections is clearly conveyed and always appropriate. Rhythms snap and dance in the faster madrigals; intense emotionality dominates the more serious ones. The comic sound effects, whether of contrapuntal bestiality or cleverly depicted bagpipes, lutes, and Jew’s harps, are superbly rendered, bringing smiles and immediate clicks of the replay button.
In every way, Banchieri’s magic is magnificently displayed. The performance is impeccable in both musical accomplishment and in spirit. The recording itself is flawless, giving space for the madrigals to sound as they should—rich, full-blooded music created from the play of distinct individual lines. Listening, one is easily transported to the party, ready to join right in. Very highly recommended.