Released
Italian composer Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), despite writing some of the Renaissance’s most beautiful music, committed one of the ugliest crimes when he killed his wife and her secret lover in the act. Though never convicted as a murderer, he was convicted by the moral weight of his actions. These responsories for Holy Week were to be his final compositions, and their Passion texts deal appropriately with crucifixion and betrayal, reflecting the inner turmoil of a mind in decline. An expanded Hilliard Ensemble conveys a divided soul, singing through a spirit of repentance to which all of us can relate.
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