Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responsoria

Composer: Carlo Gesualdo Da Venosa Artists: Ensemble Arte Musica, Francesco Cera (conductor) Online purchase and streaming: Available for licensing: More information: From a musical point of view, Carlo Gesualdo, Prince of Venosa, was a lutenist and composer. His madrigals used an intense chromaticism that was a distinctive part of his style and which did not appear again until the late 19th century. However, he is perhaps best known for his murderous past; his discovery, in 1590, that his wife had been having a two-year affair had deadly consequences for both the woman and her lover. Being a nobleman, Gesualdo was, of course, immune from prosecution. The Tenebrae Responsoria was written for Christian liturgical use in Holy Week. The text is derived from entire s