From the budding blossoms of first love and the heat of passion, to when feelings subside and fade away, “the seasons of love” are the overarching theme of this programme of madrigali concertati by three notable members of the Venetian school: Biagio Marini, Giovanni Rovetta and Giovanni Valentini. The madrigals on this recording exemplify the new musical aesthetic of affetti and the seasons of nature are mirrored by the stages of love experienced by the lyrical hero. The ever-changing vocal and instrumental forces of up to six singers and seven instrumentalists lend colourful variety to the recording as it progresses from primavera, estate, autunno and inverno through the seasons of love.
As a prelude to the “seasons of love”, ensemble member and soprano Hana Blažíková sings Marini’s doleful lament Le Lagrime d’Erminia. Since its inaugural concert of continuo anthems by Purcell in 2013, under artistic director Fritz Krämer the professional ensemble Bernvocal has become a fixture in the Swiss early music scene and beyond thanks to its performances of Renaissance and Baroque vocal repertoire.