Monteverdi’s two collections of songs entitled Scherzi musicali (“musical jokes”) were published in 1607 and 1632. Rather than presenting the complete 1632 set (as is implied by Glossa’s attractive artwork), La Venexiana instead places just five songs from the latter volume in the centre of music taken from the Settimo Libro dei Madrigali (1619), the Quarto scherzo delle ariose vaghezze (published by Milanuzzi, 1624) and the Arie di diversi raccolte (published by Vincenti, 1634), and the song “Voglio di vita uscir” (edited from a manuscript in Naples). Claudio Cavina takes a flexible approach to what he calls Monteverdi’s “light” music, professing in the booklet note that he “wanted to have a joke with music…The pizzicati from the theorbos and the harp, the melodic lines of the cornetto, the swing of the voice… we present a divertissement for performers and listeners alike.”

The results of La Venexiana’s experiment is no less imaginative than L’Arpeggiata’s recent fantasy loosely based on Monteverdi (Virgin), but is far subtler; Cavina’s “joke” never condescends into the realms of cocktail lounge jazz-lite, but instead remains closely connected to the composer’s chiaroscuro spirit. If there is humour here, it is of a dry type. Emanuela Galli’s playful rendition of “Ohimè ch’io cado” has a pizzicato basso continuo part, but also possesses tangible sincerity (whereas L’Arpeggiata’s performance, featuring Philippe Jaroussky, is more like camped-up crossover). Galli’s breathy opening phrase of “Con que soavità” is exquisitely erotic, even if Glossa’s recorded sound becomes uncharacteristically hard when the instrumental ensemble plays (the large continuo group includes three lutes, triple harp and harpsichord). “Sì dolc’è il tormento” and “Et è pur dunque vero” both feature the effective combination of Doron David Sherwin’s sensitive cornetto playing and Galli’s emotive singing. The recital concludes with Cavina’s new orchestration of the lament from the lost opera Arianna (1608); a sensuous string ensemble gives eloquent support to Galli, whose singing ideally conveys impassioned lamentation without becoming distorted.