Tenebrae Responsoria / Responses to the Passions
Responses to Good Friday and Holy Saturday by Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613)
Graindelavoix, manager Björn Schmelzer (Belgium)
Florencia Menconi, Teodora Tommasi, Razek-François Bitar, Albert Riera, Andrés Miravete, Marius Peterson, Arnout Malfliet.
Written before the end of Carlo Gesualdo's life, the "Response of the Passion" is believed to be an expression of the composer's overwhelming guilt for committing the mortal sin of murder, and at the same time his suffering in identifying himself with the sacrifice of Christ. Despite the historical context of Gesualdo's life, he remained in the collective memory as a unique personality, constantly shrouded in darkness. Gesualdo's music allows for unusual soundscapes, which are difficult to listen to for those who are used to hearing the clear sound of Renaissance music.
Björn Schmelzer with his ensemble "Graindelavoix" in his many years of musical experience has repeatedly shaken up the public's imagination of how the vocal music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods should sound and, one might say, laid a cornerstone in our understanding of the musical universe of these eras. Ensemble "Graindelavoix" interpretation of Gesualdo's "Response of the Passions" envelops the listeners in the darkness surrounding the composer and captivates the undoubted, uncompromising value of the work.
