Album

Giulio Caccini is a pivotal composer in Western music history; his advocacy of monodic song directly led to the rise of opera and, concurrently, the birth of the Baroque. Nevertheless, his music seems particularly difficult to record; the vocal ornamentation Caccini specifies is extraordinarily hard to realize effectively and the accompaniments provided in his Le Nuove Musiche (1602)—in lute tablature only—require quite a bit of work, providing numerous options for early music ensembles that sometimes fly and sometimes fail. The Divox Antiqua disc Dolcissimo Sospiro, featuring soprano Roberta Invernizzi supported by Alberto Rasi and the Accademia Strumentale, is one of the better Caccini-centered discs out there. Like most recitals devoted to Caccini, this one incorporates a number of instrumental works by other composers in order to flesh out the program and provide relief from what would normally be an unrelenting stream of heavily ornamented monodic songs; apart from his extant operatic music, that's all Caccini has. In among the instrumental selections, esteemed lutenist Rolf Lislevand joins Accademia Strumentale in a performance of Giovanni Antonio Terzi's Vestiva I colli, although a standout performance here is Luca Guglielmi's solo take at the organ on Claudio Merulo Susanne un jour, which leads directly and artfully into Caccini's "Dolcissimo sospiro."

However, ultimately it is soprano Invernizzi's lot that her role will determine whether the whole program sinks or swims, and though at times she seems to be paddling rather frantically, Invernizzi keeps the disc afloat. Her ability to render Caccini's complex ornaments ranges from passable to quite good, and whatever might seem lacking in technical execution she is able to compensate for through her dedicated and dramatic delivery, particularly in "Torna deh torna" and "Vaga su spin'ascosa." It is still recommended that the listener take this disc in small chunks, and indeed, Dolcissimo Sospiro appears organized that way, laid out in groups of two and three songs. With the right pace and concentration, once you've made it through Caccini's notorious earworm, "Amor ch'attendi" will be running through your head afterward, notably in this fine version by Invernizzi, Rasi, and Accademia Strumentale.

© Uncle Dave Lewis , Rovi

CD 1
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Ch'io non t'ami, cor mio? Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
1	Ch'io non t'ami, cor mio?	2:27			$0.99
Orazio Bassani Composer Toccata Work Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
2	No.1	1:23			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Tutto'i di piango (solo madrigal) Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
3	Tutto'i di piango (solo madrigal)	6:02			$0.99
Luzzasco Luzzaschi Composer Toccata e Ricercar del 4° tono, for organ Work Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
4	Toccata e Ricercar del 4° tono, for organ	1:48			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Dalla porta d'oriente Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
5	Dalla porta d'oriente	1:47			$0.99
Vincenzo Bonizzi Composer Jouissance (after Willaert) Work Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
6	Jouissance (after Willaert)	6:02			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Torna deh torna Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
7	Torna deh torna	4:34			$0.99
Giovanni Antonio Terzi Composer Intavolatura di liutto, Book 1 Work Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
8	Intavolatura di liutto, Book 1	2:52			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Amarilli mia bella, for voice and continuo Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
9	Amarilli mia bella, for voice and continuo	2:48			$0.99
Claudio Merulo Composer Canzonas d'intavolatura d'organo fatte alla francese, Book 3 Work Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
10	4.Susanne un jour	5:00			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Con le luci d'un bel ciglio Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
11	Con le luci d'un bel ciglio	1:48			$0.99
Orazio Bassani Composer Toccata Work Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
12	No.2	1:19			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Dolcissimo sospiro Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
13	Dolcissimo sospiro	2:43			$0.99
Giovanni Antonio Terzi Composer Variations on Palestrina's "Vestiva i colli" Work Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
14	Variations on Palestrina's "Vestiva i colli"	5:27			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer La bella man vi stringo Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
15	La bella man vi stringo	2:05			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Amor, io parto Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
16	Amor, io parto	3:34			$0.99
Orazio Bassani Composer Io son ferito hai lasso à 5 (after Palestrina) Work Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
17	Io son ferito hai lasso à 5 (after Palestrina)	6:02			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Vaga su spin'ascosa Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
18	Vaga su spin'ascosa	3:17			$0.99
Giulio Romano Caccini Composer Amor ch'attendi Work Roberta Invernizzi Soprano, Accademia Strumentale Italiana Ensemble
19	Amor ch'attendi	1:14			$0.99