First Rate Harp music from early baroque Naples - recommended by GERALD FENECH 'Margret Köll's performances have an ethereal aura ...'

During the time of Spanish dominance over the Kingdom of Naples in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a very lively and cultural relationship was forged between the two kingdoms, and the city at the foot of Vesuvius could really consider itself as a true European cultural centre on the level of London and Paris. For the marriage celebrations of Philip II in Madrid in 1543, a Neapolitan delegation of virtuoso musicians and singers was invited to participate in the festivities, and from then on there sprang a myriad of composers and performers whose music endowed both courts with a sound world that remains unique to this day.

This wonderful CD encapsulates a number of composers such as Trabaci, Gesualdo, Macque, Cabezon and Mayone, whose music for the harp has captivated performers and audiences for more than four centuries...

HARP MUSIC

NAPLES

ITALY

CARLO GESUALDO DI VENOSA

ANTONIO DE CABEZON

BERLIN

GERMANY

EARLY MUSIC