The nuns of the convent of Santa Radegonda in Milan were praised as “le prime cantatrici d’Italia”. Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1605-77ca.), singer and composer, published motets, psalms and scherzi musicali and her works appeared in various collections with such illustrious names as Monteverdi, Rovetta and Merula. Her Vespers music for 8 voices were scored (as was much of the music written for and by cloistered nuns) for 2 traditional choirs of soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Cappella Artemisia offers numerous solutions to this thorny problem of performing these sumptuous works with female voices.

“Long awaited and much anticipated […] this profoundly beautiful recording […]” (Sarah Whitworth, Early Music Women Composers Page)

“Ein musikalischer Volltreffer! Was Candace Smith an wunderbar farbigen, üppigen Werken gefunden und erstmals aufgenommen hat, ist eine kleine Sensation […]. Ein Muss für liebhaberInnen italienischer Barockmusik ist.” (Cling Klong)

“Un tout récent enregistrement des Vêpres de Noël (lesquelles datent de 1650) vient brillamment illustrer les qualités d’une écriture raffinée, contrastée et sensuelle. Une belle découverte!” (International Choral Bulletin)

“Toccata CD-Tipp: Das Resultat ist ganz hervorragend gelungen. […] Alles ist schlank vorgetragen, die Tempi sind völlig richtig. Und das Ergebnis ist ausgesprochen gut gelungen.” (Toccata Alte Musik Aktuell)

“Dalla Cappella Artemisia ci arriva una registrazione preziosa e davvero particolarissima. […] [I viaggiatori in italia] descrivevano quelle esecuzioni nei conventi come l’incontro con la voce degli angeli. Avevano ragione. Anche oggi, quando la percettività è smaliziata e meno facile agli abbandoni, si resta di fatto attoniti di fronte a una riscoperta come questa.” (Avvenire)