Monteverdi: Il ottavo libro de madrigali, 1638 'Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi'

Monteverdi was 71 when he published his Eighth Book of madrigals. This collection, a monumental work of remarkable beauty, is a synthesis of all Monteverdi's experience in the realm of secular music. It is the culmination of a genre, the Italian madrigal, which here achieves a rare state of perfection.