Macque, Jean de : Musique À la Cour de Gesualdo [CD de audio] Fabio Antonio Falcone, De Macque and None

Composed of 25 tracks and featuring eight different composers, this edition celebrates the best of Giovanni de Macque and his contemporaries in late 16s Naples. Each piece comes from Luigi Rossi's manuscript, a collection compiled in 1617 that survives to this day, giving us an extraordinary insight into the keyboard compositions written for the aristocrats who ruled the Kingdom of Naples at the time. Indeed, at a time when wealthy families were struggling to maintain their power and influence while the lower classes benefited from a sharp economic recovery, the music of this era was very complex, still aimed exclusively at the cultured upper classes. : extreme chromaticism, as well as the extensive use of polyphony and harmonic audacity are common features of these works. Upon arriving in Naples, De Macque made sure to curry favor with the right people, including Fabrizio Gesualdo, whose son Carlo became a famous composer in his own right. The works of both, along with other renowned composers of their time, are included in this edition, and the connection between De Macque and Gesualdo is clear. De Macque was far ahead of his time and became the forerunner of the Neapolitan keyboard school, counting Mayone, Trabaci and Rossi among his students, all of whom appear on this album. This edition is a testament to the close artistic circle operating at Gesualdo's court at that time: the stylistic unity between these composers and the homogeneous character of the pieces is by no means incidental. Fabio Antonio Falcone, a passionate performer of Renaissance and early Baroque music, has carefully selected period instruments for this recording, resulting in a highly authentic performance of these historic works. After studying in the Netherlands with renowned harpsichordist Bob van Asperen, he has already made a name for himself, winning the special prize for outstanding performance of a 17th-century Italian composition at the Pesaro National Harpsichord Competition in 2007. He is regularly invited to perform internationally and is often heard in conjunction with his ensemble Pizzicar Galante. This is his first edition for Brilliant Classics .