In the sleeve notes to this enjoyable CD Anthony Rooley writes: “Only the smallness of his corpus prevents (Grabbe) from being recognised as the great master he really is.
“Grabbe’s madrigals stand side by side in quality, invention and skill not only with Schütz but also with the Italian masters – Marenzio and Monteverdi.”
The madrigal was the chamber music of Italy during the 16th and early 17th centuries. Grabbe’s music was all but destroyed by time, war and fire but one book remains and this is what is on this CD from MDG, an archives issue of its best music, this to celebrate Rooley’s 80th birthday.
It sounds a fun recording: the sleeve notes recall that the singers had barely had time before recording began to properly rehearse the works.
“That meant that there was always an initial version in which the lyrics were spoken according to the rhythm … – which was great fun and often enough resulted in gales of laughter from us all.”
It adds: “All of the singers were so nice, extremely down-to-earth and game for making musical mischief.”
Rooley adds: “During the preparation for this disc the singers and I moved from the position of thinking of Johann Grabbe as a small-time composer of only local interest to the region of Westphalia, to considering this volume of madrigals to be one of the finest of the time, and Grabbe to be a composer of genuine international stature.”
As for the CD: it is a captivating collection of polyphonic vocal singing, and best listened to as a whole rather than track by track. Despite the madrigal emerging from humanist beliefs, it all has a joyous and playful religious feel.
The performers are the Consort of Musicke, with Emma Kirkby (soprano), directed by Roole.
This is out on MDG, MDG10223322.
