A Corte Musical, Rogerio Goncalves

anon.: La Petenera / La Serena
Torres, José: Mortifera Cicuta
Duron: Ondas, riscos, peces, mares
Handel: Il vostro maggio (from Rinaldo)
Purcell: Two Daughters of this Aged Stream (from King Arthur, Z628)
Lawes, H: Slide soft, you silver floods
Merula: Folle e ben che si crede
Vecoli: Concerto Di Sirene
Mariani, G B: Belle Donne
Mozart: Piangete Pur
Pederzuoli: Di Due Stelle
Giordano, G: Piangi Pena Ed Adora
Gastoldi: Questa Dolce Sirena


The beguiling song of the sirens, which according to legend lured the sailors to their doom on the strait near Capri, has been a theme for many poets and musicians. For Homer, Odysseus had himself tied to the mast of his ship to hear the songs for himself, while he stuffed wax into the ears of his sailors to protect them from misfortune. Around 1600, with the appearance of the stile moderno, effects and emotions became of crucial interest for composers. With this development,the songs of the mermaids as the epitome of seduction and emotion- also got incorporated into their array of inspirational materials. Rogerio Gonalves and A Corte Musical set out in search of siren-related music and have created this beautiful collection with songs from Baroque Spain, Italy and England.