Did Michelangelo Rossi (1601-1656) know Gesualdo's madrigals? One might well ask how much the composer-murderer influenced Rossi, who also pushed chromatism, dissonance, and wild modulations to the limit: a kind of musical mannerism which could be mistaken for the work of a 21st-century composer who had turned their hand to old-style madrigals using avant-garde composing techniques. Once again, it's the Huelgas Ensemble who bring us this beautiful handful of exceptional madrigals, recorded in public concert – it's a testament to the quality of the ensemble that we don't hear a single bum note, a real tour de force. The selection takes in some of the most excessive pieces in terms of deviant harmonies, outlaw dissonances, and all manner of delicious and stupefying incongruities. Frankly, it would be no exaggeration to say that Rossi is the worthy heir and equal of Gesualdo. But note: don't confuse this Rossi with Salomone Rossi or Luigi Rossi, both from the same baroque era, and absolutely not with one Tino… © SM/Qobuz