The Gesualdo Six – ‘A Portrait of Carlo Gesualdo’

The internationally celebrated vocal ensemble, The Gesualdo Six, was formed in 2014. Their first commission was to sing one of Gesualdo’s most powerful works, the series of pieces known as ‘Tenebrae’ (shadows), written for the week leading up to Easter, and the singers decided to name their new group after the musician. In this concert they return to the same work and will show-case for us the talents of this extraordinary composer.

Carlo Gesualdo was an enigmatic figure: a man of contrasts. Born in 1566 into a wealthy aristocratic family in southern Italy he was destined for the priesthood, but on the death of his elder brother inherited his title, becoming Prince of Venosa. In his lifetime he was notorious as a double murderer. On finding his wife in bed with another man, he killed them both. He was not convicted of any crime – according to the code of honour at that time, his actions were judged reasonable!

Gesualdo’s lasting passion and legacy, however, was his music. A startlingly original composer of both sacred music and madrigals, Gesualdo was ahead of his time with his unsettling dissonances and the intensity of his emotional expression. His compositions fell out of favour but were ‘rediscovered’ in the twentieth century and he is now regarded as one of the towering figures of Renaissance music.

Tickets: £10-£20 or £5 for under 25’s. To book your tickets, click here.

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