Banchieri was a monk who, although he also wrote solid church music, owed his popularity mainly to his secular music, especially his madrigal comedies. On this CD we find two of them. The first is entitled "Barca di Venetia per Padua", which simply means: The boat from Venice to Padua. While sailing, the travelers, coming from five different places and as a result singing in five dialects, become
… more and more cheerful and lively. At the same time, Banchieri, through the travelers, is making fun of some of his contemporaries, including Gesualdo and Marenzio, by parodying their style. The whole is connected by spoken texts. Slightly less exuberant, but just as worthwhile, is the second work "Il Zabaione Musicale" (The musical stew). The Prager Madrigalists with conductor Damiano Binetti make music with audible pleasure, although the show is in danger of being stolen by Lino Toffolo (speaking voice). Anyone who listens to him thinks he hears a retired sailor from the deep sea talking.more
