Lucrezia Borgia's music

[ardcarp]

Creepy title. I haven't heard it yet (busy at rehearsal) but look forward to catch-up.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0012gj5

I suspect history may have mis-represented her somewhat, but let's see.....

[oddoneout]

The programme was what it says on the tin. As I hadn't seen the title and I started listening after the beginning it was a while before I realised who they were discussing, if that gives an idea how much the more well-known features of her life were in evidence? The last part of the programme concerns a manuscript discovery by HF's guest, Laurie Stras.

[ardcarp]

That was an amazing edition of EMS! It struck me that much was conjecture, though it seems possible that Lucretia knew Josquin's music
The politics and the influential Italian and Spanish families of the time are incredibly confusing...and after the programme I read as much as I could find about the Borgias, the d'Estes and Sforzas and am now even more muddled. In a nutshell, Lucretia's life-story must lie somewhere between the noble, cultural and intellectual as promoted by today's EMS guest, and the scandalous as tradition would have it. It is probably also [informed?] conjecture that Lucretia's daughter, Leonora d'Este wrote the last pieces in the programme.

But the music alone was wonderful, and I think I heard a much younger James Bowman's voice in one David Munrow [Josquin] extract.

[ardcarp]

And I meant to add that apart from the big-name ensembles (David Munrow, above, The Cardinal's Musick, The Hilliards and The Monteverdi Choir) there were some other very fine lesser-known groups represented on the programme. A much wider spread of performers than on last week's programme. Worth having a look/listen:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0012gj5