That Carlo Gesualdo overthrew his wife and her lover is one of the juiciest facts in music history. One October day in 1590, he caught the couple in flagrante delicto and murdered them on the bed they were lying on. That he would go on to become a composer of stunning madrigals in the years following the double murder, we also know. But could there be a connection between the drama and Gesualdo’s eccentric polyphony? His Fourth Book of Madrigals dates from six years later and testifies to his unbridled experimentation and emotional inflammability. Collegium Vocale Gent extracts the finest nuances from these songs of searing longing and sweet love pain.

Founded in 1970 by Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent has always been at the forefront when it comes to new insights in performing early music. For over 50 years, the ensemble has proved itself an authority on the repertoire through performances and recordings. So who better to let unravel the riddles behind the more than four hundred-year-old madrigal music of nobleman, murderer and composer Gesualdo?