Pone spes in planctu amaro
Solo Motets by Isabella Leonarda
During her 68 years at the Collegio di Sant'Orsola, Isabella Leonarda composed more than two hundred published works in twenty published collections. She is considered one of the most productive female composers of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Her approximately 100 solo motets combine technical virtuosity with a highly personal expression of religious fervor. The texts are frequently non-liturgical, rich in imagery and assumed to be written by Leonarda herself. They offer a fascinating insight into both Leonarda’s own deep and personified beliefs and the larger theological context of a 17th-century nunnery.
In spite of their musical quality, most of Leonarda’s works have not be re-performed in modern times, and only a handful have been recorded or published in modern editions. Contralto Julie Comparini and an ensemble of early music specialists present solo motets and violin sonatas by this virtuoso Baroque composer.
Julie Comparini, contralto
Wiebke Corßen and Julia Krikkay, violin
Jenny Westman, viola da gamba
Susanne Peuker, theorbo
Tobias Gravenhorst, harpsichord
Klaus Westermann, organ
Arcantus, arc 23048, € 18
To order an advance copy directly from Julie Comparini, please send an e-mail to julie (at) juliecomparini (dot) com with your billing and shipping address and the desired number of CDs. You will receive an invoice that can be paid via PayPal or SEPA bank transfer and your CDs will be sent in the mail. The CDs cost 18 Euro per CD plus postage (postage-free for orders shipped within Germany).
Distribution via the label Arcantus and digital download coming soon
Interview with Benno Schirrmeister about this project (in German)
