THE MEASURE OF MAN Liberty, Virtue, and Beauty in the Florentine Renaissance

Rothfield's history of Renaissance Florence centers on the interplay of art, architecture, philosophy, and literature with politics. It includes appearances by such famous figures as Machiavelli and da Vinci. Narrator David de Vries's pronunciation of Italian is mostly excellent, but he misplaces the accents of several person and place names--which jars. He narrates with understanding and intelligence and is skilled at shaping sound and emphasis to sense. His performance is somewhat too "big" for the intimacy of audio, a bit too much like a broadcast or lecture, or the announcer in a movie preview. However, his ability and energy win out over his dynamics, and the program is overall enjoyable, an able presentation of an interesting look at a fascinating period. W.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]