Collegium Vocale Gent

Count – patron – musical dilettante – expressive composer – double murderer: these catchwords describe one of the most enigmatic musical personalities of the late 16th century: Don Carlo Gesualdo, the Count of Consa and Prince of Venosa. His biography is perfectly unusual for a nobleman of that time, as he devoted himself to the arts far beyond measure and created compositions in a style that was as unique as it was anachronistic. Whereas the music of 1600 was undergoing epochal transformation, the Prince of Venosa continued to observe the old, polyphonic style, albeit pushing the rules of this style to the very limits. As is unmistakable from his madrigals, he very closely approached the principles of the new, baroque style in terms of expressivity, interpretation of words, and emotional richness. Extraordinary harmonies, surprising changes of key and mode, and the finest attention to the poetic source create an unmistakable expressiveness. One of Gesualdo's greatest admirers in the 20th century was Igor Stravinsky, who in 1960 dedicated the “Monumentum pro Gesualdo” to him, an instrumental arrangement of three of Gesualdo’s madrigals. In a 1968 contribution, Stravinsky stated, “One would require permanent madrigal ensembles to preserve Gesualdo's music.” Two years later, Philippe Herreweghe granted him this wish by founding his Collegium Vocale Gent. Gesualdo’s vocal works have been consistently performed at the highest level by this ensemble ever since.