There is a fair amount of documentation on the ecclesiastical and diplomatic career of Don Paolo di Marco, abbot and tenorista of Florence in the early 15th century. Less well known are his allegorical madrigals which are perhaps the most innovative, and certainly the most virtuosic of this period.

Apparently innocent bucolic or mythological texts conceal philosophical intrigues, political ideas and moral precepts. Their poetry and music still speak intensely to us six centuries later.

"[Mala Punica's] combination of rhythmic exuberance and purposeful shaping produces a wonderfully fresh and exhilarating effect." - Elizabeth Roche, The Daily Telegraph, 4 May 2002

"the disc makes spellbinding listening, the group's astonishing vocal prowess matched by peerless instrumental work." - Andrew Clarke, The Independent, 5/5