Maria, Dolce Maria

Giovanni Felice Sances is another little-known composer represented here, but whose 1636 Stabat mater is touched by rich and affective dissonance. It makes a fine complement to the plainer declamation of the Sancta mater by the German-Italian lutenist Girolamo Kapsberger. Composer: / Artists: Wendy Roobol (soprano), Krijn Koetsveld (organ and harpsichord), Arjen Verhage (theorbo), Cassandra Luckhardt (cello and viola da gamba) ‘What touches and appeals to me most in the music of Monteverdi is the ultimate symbiosis between music and text,’ says the Dutch soprano Wendy Roobol. ‘He unites the two in such a way that the outcome is more than the sum of the parts. As a result, his music has enormous sincerity, richness and drama.’