Thursday, December 1st, 2011
KHCD-2011-097 (STEREO) – Alessandro Grandi: Music for San Marco, Venzia, San Georgio, Ferrara & Santo Maria Maggiore, Bergamo – Accademia Monteverdiana/Denis Stevens – Alessandro Grandi (1586 – after June 1630, but in that year) was a northern Italian composer of the early Baroque era, writing in the new concertato style. He was probably born in Ferrara and spent the first part of his life there, likely studying with Giovanni Gabrieli at Venice, which was nearby. He was one of the most inventive, influential and popular composers of the time, probably second only to Monteverdi in northern Italy. His works were published throughout Italy, Germany and the Low Countries, and continued to be reprinted long after his death. He wrote motets, psalm settings, madrigals, as well as some of the earliest compositions to be called “cantata.” This disc, from a 1970s Nonesuch LP licensed by Accadamia Monteverdiana, feature expert performances led by Monteverdi scholar Denis Stevens. Click here for an MP3 sample.
More posts to come for December – Cheers – Curt Timmons