Who were the singers who inspired Claudio Monteverdi to write his revolutionary music? The most fascinating among them was probably the young virtuoso Caterina Martinelli, called «La Caterinuccia» - little Katherina.

At the age of only 13, she left her home town of Rome and came to Mantua to live in Monteverdi's household and study with him. She quickly became an admired musician and favourite singer of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga. The title role in Monteverdi's «L'Arianna», an opera composed for the wedding of the heir to the Mantuan throne, was perfectly suited to her. However, this great moment in musical history was not to take place: Caterina fell seriously ill and died shortly before her 19th birthday. Her death caused general consternation and great personal grief for Monteverdi. But not everyone at the court shared his grief. Sources from the time indicate that «La Caterinuccia» was not only admired but also jealously eyed.

In the programme «Monteverdis Muse», Voces Suaves follows the path of this unique artist from her early years and first encounters with the music of Caccini and Monteverdi to her great success in Marco da Gagliano's opera «La Dafne" and her preparations for «L'Arianna». The finale is the madrigal cycle «La Sestina», a work commissioned by the Duke of Mantua from Monteverdi as a musical memorial to the singer who died.

Enjoy the Swiss vocal ensemble, founded in 2012, which combines its warm and full sound with a nuanced musical rhetoric.