With Monteverdi's 'Il pianto della Madonna', La Compagnia del Madrigale provide a stunning follow-up to their award-winning recording, also on Glossa, of the Fifth Book of madrigals by Marenzio.

Recorded in Roletto, they present the spiritual version of the celebrated 'Lamento d’Arianna' from the lost opera 'Arianna' – Il pianto della Madonna – sung in a distinctive polyphonic reworking prepared especially for La Compagnia del Madrigale. Pastoral concerns in Monteverdi’s madrigals, such as in the Fourth and Fifth Books, make way for reflections on the Crucifixion or the Nativity through the new religious texts supplied by the likes of Angelo Grillo and Aquilino Coppini, which nonetheless fit the music more than aptly. Included also are some of Monteverdi’s own religious compositions, as published by Giulio Cesare Bianchi, and including the extensive 'Litaniae lauretanae'.

In the booklet essay Marco Bizzarini brings his deep understanding of the interplay of words and music in Italy in Monteverdi’s time, underscoring the skill, experience and sheer musicality of La Compagnia del Madrigale.