Monteverdi’s Fourth Book of Madrigals, published in 1603, is one of the composer’s most attractive collections, continuing the expressive innovation that had characterized the Third Book (Naxos 8.555309). The texts deal mainly with the experiences of yearning and pain caused by the vicissitudes of love, from the erotic charge of Sì, ch’io vorrei morire (Yes, I would die) to the pathos of heartbreaking separations or farewells in, for example, Longe da te, cor mio (Far from you, my love). Monteverdi uses madrigalismo, or word-painting, not to create sophisticated plays on words but to express pure human emotion. In line with recent research into performance practice of the time, all the singers on this recording are men.