L'Arpeggiata: Mediterraneo

Mediterraneo features works by Monteverdi, Kapsberger, Falconiero, Kircher, Vitale, Cazzati, and Matteis, as well as improvisations and traditional songs from 17th-century Italy.

For its energetic program, the much-admired early music collective L'Arpeggiata takes as its starting point the songs historically sung by the Greek inhabitants of southern Italy, tracking the music as it spread into the "olive frontier" of France, Turkey, Northern Africa, and Portugal. The ensemble's instrumentalists join with a cast of expressive vocalists to perform songs and tarantellas that combine improvisational prowess with earthy melodies and driving dance rhythms.