Concert "Capçalera madrigals Els Madrigals de Monteverdi VIII". Concerto Italiano
27 May 2027 · 19:30
Gran Teatre del Liceu, el Raval, Ciutat Vella
Claudio Monteverdi's (1567-1643) madrigals form an essential catalogue in the history of music and represent the culmination of a genre. Yet through their evolution they also give rise to the birth of a new one: opera. Grouped into nine books published between 1587 and 1651, the last posthumously, the madrigal cycle constitutes a fascinating and poetic journey towards the origins of opera that the Liceu began in the 2021-2022 season. Five years separate the publication of the Sesto Libro de' Madrigali (1614) and the Concerto. Settimo Libro de' Madrigali (1619), both belonging to Claudio Monteverdi's Venetian period. The Settimo Libro, however, marks a decisive break with earlier tradition. The title itself, Concerto, refers to the union of heterogeneous elements and announces a new formal and expressive conception. For the first time, Monteverdi abandons the fixed five-voice ensemble and opts for a diverse combination of formations —especially duets— alongside “other genres of singing” such as arias, canzonette, pieces in stile rappresentativo and a ballo. All these works are accompanied by basso continuo, here enriched by a more elaborate instrumental arrangement in two ensembles…
Source: Ajuntament de Barcelona · checked on 8 September 2026