Maddalena Casulana’s Rediscovered Madrigals To Premiere On BBC Radio 3

To celebrate International Women’s Day BBC Radio 3 will broadcast the live premiere of Maddalena Casulana’s 1583 First Book of five-voice madrigals.

In one of the most important discoveries of recent years the lost Alto part of Maddalena Casulana’s First Book of five-voice madrigals, which disappeared after World War II from a music collection in Poland, was recently found by Laurie Stras, Professor of Music at the Universities of Southampton and Huddersfield, at the Russian State Library in Moscow.

Maddalena Casulana was an Italian composer, lutenist and singer of the late Renaissance. She was the first female composer to have a whole book of her music printed and published in the history of western music.

BBC Radio 3 will broadcast the live premiere of the madrigals

Maddalena Casulana’s newly rediscovered madrigals will be performed in full for the first time in 400 years by vocal ensemble Fieri Consort at King’s Place in London, and broadcast live for the first time in BBC Radio 3’s programme Casulana and Strozzi: The Excellence of Women on Tuesday 8 March at 8pm. All the programmes as part of BBC Radio 3’s International Women’s Day celebration will also be available to listen to on BBC Sounds.

Living at a time in which women’s creativity was often stifled, Maddalena Casulana (1544-1590) and her compatriot Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) were only too aware their music would be judged inferior to men’s. To mark International Women’s Day this concert celebrates both composers by presenting Casulana’s madrigals as a fresh perspective on Strozzi’s works.

In the dedication of her 1566 first collection of madrigals Maddalena Casulana noted:
“these first fruits of mine, flawed as they are …show the world the futile error of men who believe themselves patrons of the high gifts of intellect, which according to them cannot also be held in the same way by women …”

Part of BBC Radio 3’s International Women’s Day celebrations

The premiere of Maddalena Casulana’s five-voice madrigals is part of BBC Radio 3’s International Women’s Day celebrations, focusing on female composers and performers past and present, and featuring speech programmes exploring and debating issues from a female perspective. As in previous years all the music broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on International Women’s Day will be by female composers, with all the live music programmes produced by female producers.

Alan Davey, BBC Radio 3 Controller, said, “BBC Radio 3 broadcasts music by female composers all year-round. We pride ourselves with supporting research on unjustly overlooked figures and presenting forgotten pieces on our airwaves, as well as premiering new music, as part of our regular schedules. International Women’s Day is a cherished opportunity every year for us to put a spotlight on the invaluable artistic contribution women across all centuries and genres have given to music. It offers the chance to delight our audiences with unknown gems, new pieces, and familiar repertoire, paired with discussions focusing on arts, history, lifestyle – all with a female perspective. We hope that listeners can enjoy this week of special programming – there is something for everyone!”

For further information on BBC Radio 3’s premiere of Maddalena Casulana’s newly rediscovered madrigals click here.

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