The Flemish composer Giaches de Wert spent nearly his entire life in Italy at the court of the Gonzaga in Mantua. He was one of those great composers capable of transcending fashion trends and creating art destined to remain "timeless and eternal." The Ninth Book of Madrigals, published in 1588 during a time of personal hardship and anguish over his thwarted love for the poetess Tarquinia Molza, marks a pinnacle of artistry and pathos. Wert explores Petrarch's Canzoniere alongside verses by Torquato Tasso, Jacopo Sannazaro, and Battista Guarini. He alternates between refined courtly tributes and innovative lyricism that anticipates the style of Carlo Gesualdo.