This group of performers is commendably aware of [the] move towards expressive freedom: we get from them searing moments of deep anguish...and mesmerising stillness...[and] the finest performance on disc of [the] last madrigal with its incredibly avant-garde dissonances.

This is a very impressive recording...The level of control and unanimity of the singers is astonishing, as is the huge sense of commitment to the words which permeate the recording. Some initial shock at the intensity of some passages and the closeness to the edge to which the singers push the dissonance, gives way to admiration...the singers of Les Arts Florissants have got the measure of Monteverdi's writing...This is definitely a must buy.

Agnew's selection is impeccably judged...Les Arts Florissants have not so rich a sound as their Italian counterparts but the lighter timbre makes for a texture of rare transparency, an elfin capacity to render changes that can be properly breathtaking...And if you don't know a single volume should be enough to persuade you that you ought to have done, long ago.

The vocalists — Agnew sings and directs from within the ensemble — give us Monteverdi’s own five-voice arrangement of Arianna’s Lament, delivered with the dramatic intensity and attention to textual clarity and dynamic variety that are the hallmarks of the ensemble’s Monteverdi.

As you would expect from this source, the performances are immaculate, the vocal colouring, the phrasing and the ensemble utterly refined. Some may prefer an earthier, more Italianate approach in this music, but the sheer accomplishment of Les Arts Florissants is hard to resist.

Agnew not only directs but sings also, and the group that William Christie founded remains in tip-top shape…the sheer perfection of execution and vibrant tonality of these performances are hard to dismiss.