I use the word sumptuous in at least two senses.  This is a really good recording with a fine period instrument ensemble and voices carefully matched to parts.  It’s also very carefully researched in the quest to get as close as what Monteverdi’s audience heard as possible.  It’s also sumptuous in presentation.  It’s a beautiful hardback book with 3 CD slots built in.  The binding and printing are Folio Society quality.  It’s sumptuous also in terms of book content.  The English language version has 165 pages of explanatory essays plus libretto and translation!  There is a wealth of information on what was happening in Venetian theatre , as well as influences from further afield.  There’s a section on how discoveries in the sciences were reshaping perspectives on art and aesrthetics and there’s a load of detail on the links between the commedia dell’arte and the opera stage.  For a music loving bibliophile it’s a real treat.

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