Share in the magic of madrigals of old

THE CAPE Consort launched its Monteverdi Project with three consecutive Sunday evening concerts at the Fugard Studio. The first concert took place this past weekend, and two more will follow, each starting at 6pm.

The Matrix of the Madrigal explores Monteverdi’s madrigals using animated text projections. Supported by synchronised translations, the Cape Consort’s blended voices are accompanied by period instruments, all contributing to a unified sensory experience.

A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, from the Renaissance or Baroque period. They originated in Italy in the 1520s and, unlike most forms at that time, were composed to express the emotion in each line and sometimes the specific words of celebrated poems.

The most common use of the madrigal used to be as private entertainment for small groups of skilled amateur musicians, but changes in ideas surrounding audiences and the growth of professional soloists saw the rise of the aria in the 17th century displace the use of the madrigal in opera.

Claudio Monteverdi was one of the most famous composers of madrigals, and is often credited as one of the key composers instrumental in the transition from Renaissance to Baroque music.

The Cape Consort is an early music ensemble – a group of solo singers and two basso continuo players – and patrons are invited to meet the musicians on the theatre’s rooftop deck after each performance.