Features:
Description:
Don Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa (1560-1613), was not only insanely jealous (he murdered his unfaithful wife and her lover); he was insane, period. In this brilliantly directed documentary with expertly sung music, Werner Herzog explores Gesualdo's madness through his biography, visits to the sites of key events in his life, paintings, still-active gossip, and above all the music he composed--madrigals whose death-haunted texts and abrasive harmonies still have the power to shock. Music is only a part of this disc's attractions, but it is powerful and well-integrated into the flow of the film, and it puts the viewer directly in touch with Gesualdo's tortured soul. Two vocal groups exemplify different views on how it should be performed. Il Complesso Barocco uses instruments, very discreetly, to support the voices; the Gesualdo Consort has five unaccompanied voices. Both sing with the expressive intensity the music requires. --Joe McLellan
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