In this programme we celebrate Monteverdi’s poems about the pursuit of love through the allegory of war. Published towards the end of his life in 1638, twenty years after his previous collection, these astonishing works take the notion of the ‘madrigal’ to its very limit. In these groundbreaking works Monteverdi established the emotional codes for music that would dominate for a century or more. With Dunedin’s distinctive soloist-led performance, we explore, through quicksilver