The latest release from the indefatigable Jordi Savall on his own label Alia Vox brings together laments and battle pieces from the 17th century. This might at first glance seem an odd thematic coupling, but it makes for a good sense of contrast (all battles, or all laments would be too much), and the two are in some ways linked: both were set pieces of the early baroque, genres with a clearly defined frame of reference for composer and listener alike. It might also seem odd that the laments were originally recorded for the most part in 1981, and are here reissued with permission from the labels for which they were first made, while the instrumental battle pieces and canzonas date from much more recently (1997-99). But, then, if you own your own label you can do as you wish, and it is good to have the chance to appreciate the singing of Montserrat Figueras from 20 years ago, when her voice was probably at its finest: still fresh, yet with the added depth of maturity and experience. Indeed, comparing the laments by Peri, Fontei and Strozzi she recorded in 1981 and the version of Monteverdi’s famous Lamento d’Arianna which she made in 1989 is interesting. The Monteverdi is interpreted in a powerfully expressive way, of course, and the plangent quality inherent in her voice makes it in many ways ideally suited. Yet I found, for example, that the Peri, a lament by Iole for Hercules, was more moving, largely because the voice has the bloom of a singer at the height of her powers: there is more warmth, more flexibility, and thus the intensity of the complaint is maintained with greater ease.
Not all the instrumental items are battle pieces; in fact, one of the most striking and original works on the disc is the Fantasia on ‘Les pleurs d’Orphee’ by Luigi Rossi. This is a shortish piece, but so full of chromaticism and dense string writing that it makes an immediate impact on the listener. Savall and his team play it beautifully, the performance as crafted and intimate as that of a great string quartet; you get the sense (quite rare on disc) that the players are all listening intently to each other, and this helps to draw the listener in too. The battle pieces, by Scheidt, Guami and Falconiero, offer all the virtuosity you could hope to hear from strings and wind alike. Strongly recommended