Il Ballo delle Ingrate – Combattimento di Tancredi

In this opera-ballet, Monteverdi adheres to the language and courtly style of Rinuccini, inspired in turn by the dances of the French court of Maria De’ Medici.
Pervaded by a didactic and erotic atmosphere, Il Ballo delle Ingrate underlines in the final part the most significant aims of Monteverdi’s art: that of humanization and a search for an atmosphere which is essentially dramatic, thereby creating a clear and yet evocative contrast with the courtly gallantry presented in Pluto’s monologue.The expression of pity for the miserable Souls already felt by Cupid and Venus reaches an apex of heart-felt pathos in the final lament of the separated Soul: “Apprendete pietà donne e donzelle” (Learn pity, women and maidens) is the motto of the final refrain, set for solo voice and reprised chorally, concluding the work in an aura of sublime delicacy.
“IL COMBATIMENTO DI TANCREDI ET CLORINDA”, contained in Monteverdi’s eighth book of “MADRIGALI GUERRIERI ET AMOROSI” is referred to as an “opuscolo genere rappresentativo” (a small work in the representative genre). Despite its brevity, this composition may be considered one of the fundamental works not only of the early seventeenth century but indeed of our entire western culture. Since its rediscovery in the twentieth-century by Malipiero, who edited the publication of Monteverdi’s complete works, there have been countless performances of this extraordinary masterpiece in various versions and contexts: from the Teatro alla Scala in Milan to the Teatro Regio in Turin, and even to the smallest and least “official” performance venues (churches, castles, salons, cloisters).
This, thanks to the sense of timelessness (or “high memory”) achieved by Tasso, whose “Gerusalemme Liberata” provides the text for the musical setting.
Monteverdi’s music confers upon the verses an eternal timelessness which continues to move us, regardless of any elements of Neoplatonism or numerology which pervade the composition (in fact, the number three recurs consistently: three characters, a repetitio structure lasting three measures, “tre volte il cavalier…”, etc.)