Ah che vuoi più cruciar m'amor

Sung in Italian, this secular madrigal by Costanzo Festa sets a lament of unrequited or betrayed love. The text speaks of a faithless beloved whose false words inflict further torment, and whose sweetness hides poison. The narrator acknowledges their own tardiness in recognising this deceit, hoping that time will eventually quench the fires of their passion. Festa’s TTB setting brings a rich, dark sonority to these words of heartbreak, ideal for a concert program seeking to explore the emotional depths of Renaissance part-music. It offers a compelling opportunity for male voices to convey the drama and pathos of the text through finely crafted polyphony.