Savall Edition, Volume 14
An enchanting pot-pourri from Savall and his various ensembles, including especially captivating contributions from Figueras
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Author: Ivan March
Some months back Astree reissued 20 CDs as part of a ‘Jordi Savall Edition’ celebrating the amazingly diverse recorded repertoire of this distinguished musician, virtuoso of the bass viol or viola da gamba, and director of the period-instrument ensembles La Capella Reial, Le Concert des Nations and Hesperion XX (now renamed Hesperion XXI). Here are 10 more reissues, handsomely packaged, as before, in ‘booklet’ form (no jewel-cases) and well documented. We begin with the Bach Brandenburgs, which are delightfully fresh. Textures are clear and often transluscent (try No 5), Allegros are lively, tempos well judged (No 3 especially apt), slow movements are warmly expressive in the right way (sample the Adagio of No 6). There is some breathtakingly vigorous and true hand-horn playing in No 1, but I did not greatly care for Friedmann Immer’s slightly throttled trumpet sounds in No 2, authentic though they may be. In his original review Nicholas Anderson noticed ‘too many occasions of poor tuning and rough ensemble’, which perhaps I more readily take for granted in period performances; nevertheless he also commented on the ‘freshness of approach and vitality’ of the playing.
Couperin’sL’apotheose compose a la memoire immortelle de l’incomparable M de Lully and La Parnasse ou l’apotheose de Corelli unite these two great composers in the Elysian Fields, and at the same time make a case for the employment of both the ‘French’ and ‘Italian’ styles in early 18th-century instrumental music. The one apotheose is programmatic, the other a fine trio sonata; both have all their movements titled, and are here introduced by Bernard Herve, whose clear, concise style is helped by the translations provided. This is a delightful entertainment. The music is in essence a series of memorable vignettes, graceful, lively and expressive by turns, and it is superbly played and recorded.
We meet Savall as a viol player first in the solo Suites of Sieur de Machy, perhaps the first of their kind to be published, and certainly upstaging Marais by a year. The recording was made in the late 1970s, when Savall was pioneering much of this music on disc. He plays in a freely spontaneous way, as if improvising. But these are dance suites, and the curious lack of rhythmic discipline means that the gigues, gavottes and allemandes are hardly recognisable as such, and the closing Chaconne of the G major Suite is very wayward indeed. Savall plays pizzicato in two brief movements which is surely not authentic, but they are easily the most appealing movements on the CD.
What a difference then to turn to Savall’s hand-picked collection of 11 items from Part 2 of the Marais Fourth Viol Suite. The opening ‘Marche tartare’ is as boldly march-like as you could wish, and the swirling bravura of ‘Le tourbillon’ is matched by the charming ‘La tartarine’ and a lively Gigue. ‘La reveuse’, a rondeau, is tenderly sombre. Most memorable of all is the superb account of the celebrated six-section fantasy ‘Le labyrinthe’, played with spontaneous virtuosity, yet with Savall retaining his structural grip, notably in the closing Chaconne. Koopman and Smith give a discreet continuo backing.
Marais is almost solely known as a performer/composer of viol music, but his opera, Alcione, was a triumphant success in its day (1706). Its outrageous mythological plot has the various gods intervening to save the mortals from the sundry disasters which continually befall them. Finally Neptune rises out of the sea to provide a happy ending by resuscitating the apparently drowned hero and his beloved (who has stabbed herself). There is plenty of opportunity for divertissements, with dance music in the tradition of Lully, and Marais’ delightfully elegant inventions seem inexhaustible, including a spectacular ‘Tempete’ and a particularly fine closing ‘Chaconne for the Tritons’. Savall is here on the podium, clearly relishing the music’s grace and colour, and the playing has an endearing vivacity and elegance. Excellent recording, too.
As Iain Fenlon commented in his original review, Jordi Savall’s approach to Book VIII of Monteverdi’s Madrigals is ‘robust and theatrical’ and tremendously alive, too: his singers make the very most of the strong rhythmic contrasts of the Madrigali guerrieri. There are some excellent voices, all with striking individuality of character, yet blending splendidly: try the opening of ‘Hor che’l ciel e la terra’. Montserrat Figueras, Lambert Climent and Daniele Carnovich stand out, and Figueras sings gloriously in the famous ‘Lamento della ninfa’. This is a fine disc in all respects.
Montserrat Figueras comes completely into her own in music by another unfamiliar vocal composer, Alonso Mudarra, where she is accompanied by what many music reference books have described as an obsolete instrument, the vihuela, the guitar’s more restrained predecessor. But Hopkinson Smith plays four of them (all modern reproductions, of course) to accompany these simple and captivating folk-like romances and villancicos. The singing is quite lovely. I join John Duarte in saying ‘If these songs can be better presented than this, I cannot imagine by whom’.
The strength of Savall’s musical peronality is apparent in all his recordings, but never more so than in his deeply expressive and ripe-toned recording by Hesperion XX of the complete instrumental music of Christopher Tye, another shadowy figure, this time English. Tye is associated, as a vocal composer, with Ely Cathedral and the Chapel Royal, but his consort music is virtually and unjustly neglected. The performances here make a very strong impression indeed, and the viol timbre unexpectedly rich. I found this music-making difficult to resist, but perhaps it is not wholly authentic. Julie Anne Sadie, who reviewed the original issue, rightly questioned ‘just how “stylistically correct” it is.
I am running out of space so I must deal with the three remaining compilations briefly. El Cancionero de Palacio is a huge collection (some 500 items) of Spanish music of the Middle Ages, compiled between 1490 and 1520. Savall’s selection is admirable. He occasionally uses a small chorus, and his choice of instrumentation is obviously conjectural, but colourful and diverse (viols, wind, brass, plucked instruments). One is sometimes reminded of David Munrow’s Early Music Consort, although there are no bizarre ‘comb and paper’ effects. Instead there are more ravishingly gentle contributions from Montserrat Figueras which rather steal the show.
The music of El Canto de la Sibilla II has a long and complex history but was incorporated into the Spanish liturgy in the 12th century. Although the Council of Trent later demanded its withdrawal, it survived in some cathedrals until quite recently. As presented here, a radiant, decorated vocal line (Figueras again) alternates with sonorous choruses with an underlying organum character, and in spite of the spare instrumental contribution (with psaltery), the choral progressions rather reminded me of the vocal writing of John Tavener.
The Cantigas de Santa Maria are associated with Alfonso X El Sabio. He was King of Castile in the second half of the 13th century, and a few of the songs were attributed to him. The melodies are short and plaintively modal: some are treated as solos (Figueras), others are choral (and often jolly) and there are instrumental interludes, beautifully played, and even a bell. How authentic this all is it is difficult to guess, but Savall is never short on enterprise or imagination, and the result is quite hypnotic.'
Couperin’s
We meet Savall as a viol player first in the solo Suites of Sieur de Machy, perhaps the first of their kind to be published, and certainly upstaging Marais by a year. The recording was made in the late 1970s, when Savall was pioneering much of this music on disc. He plays in a freely spontaneous way, as if improvising. But these are dance suites, and the curious lack of rhythmic discipline means that the gigues, gavottes and allemandes are hardly recognisable as such, and the closing Chaconne of the G major Suite is very wayward indeed. Savall plays pizzicato in two brief movements which is surely not authentic, but they are easily the most appealing movements on the CD.
What a difference then to turn to Savall’s hand-picked collection of 11 items from Part 2 of the Marais Fourth Viol Suite. The opening ‘Marche tartare’ is as boldly march-like as you could wish, and the swirling bravura of ‘Le tourbillon’ is matched by the charming ‘La tartarine’ and a lively Gigue. ‘La reveuse’, a rondeau, is tenderly sombre. Most memorable of all is the superb account of the celebrated six-section fantasy ‘Le labyrinthe’, played with spontaneous virtuosity, yet with Savall retaining his structural grip, notably in the closing Chaconne. Koopman and Smith give a discreet continuo backing.
Marais is almost solely known as a performer/composer of viol music, but his opera, Alcione, was a triumphant success in its day (1706). Its outrageous mythological plot has the various gods intervening to save the mortals from the sundry disasters which continually befall them. Finally Neptune rises out of the sea to provide a happy ending by resuscitating the apparently drowned hero and his beloved (who has stabbed herself). There is plenty of opportunity for divertissements, with dance music in the tradition of Lully, and Marais’ delightfully elegant inventions seem inexhaustible, including a spectacular ‘Tempete’ and a particularly fine closing ‘Chaconne for the Tritons’. Savall is here on the podium, clearly relishing the music’s grace and colour, and the playing has an endearing vivacity and elegance. Excellent recording, too.
As Iain Fenlon commented in his original review, Jordi Savall’s approach to Book VIII of Monteverdi’s Madrigals is ‘robust and theatrical’ and tremendously alive, too: his singers make the very most of the strong rhythmic contrasts of the Madrigali guerrieri. There are some excellent voices, all with striking individuality of character, yet blending splendidly: try the opening of ‘Hor che’l ciel e la terra’. Montserrat Figueras, Lambert Climent and Daniele Carnovich stand out, and Figueras sings gloriously in the famous ‘Lamento della ninfa’. This is a fine disc in all respects.
Montserrat Figueras comes completely into her own in music by another unfamiliar vocal composer, Alonso Mudarra, where she is accompanied by what many music reference books have described as an obsolete instrument, the vihuela, the guitar’s more restrained predecessor. But Hopkinson Smith plays four of them (all modern reproductions, of course) to accompany these simple and captivating folk-like romances and villancicos. The singing is quite lovely. I join John Duarte in saying ‘If these songs can be better presented than this, I cannot imagine by whom’.
The strength of Savall’s musical peronality is apparent in all his recordings, but never more so than in his deeply expressive and ripe-toned recording by Hesperion XX of the complete instrumental music of Christopher Tye, another shadowy figure, this time English. Tye is associated, as a vocal composer, with Ely Cathedral and the Chapel Royal, but his consort music is virtually and unjustly neglected. The performances here make a very strong impression indeed, and the viol timbre unexpectedly rich. I found this music-making difficult to resist, but perhaps it is not wholly authentic. Julie Anne Sadie, who reviewed the original issue, rightly questioned ‘just how “stylistically correct” it is.
I am running out of space so I must deal with the three remaining compilations briefly. El Cancionero de Palacio is a huge collection (some 500 items) of Spanish music of the Middle Ages, compiled between 1490 and 1520. Savall’s selection is admirable. He occasionally uses a small chorus, and his choice of instrumentation is obviously conjectural, but colourful and diverse (viols, wind, brass, plucked instruments). One is sometimes reminded of David Munrow’s Early Music Consort, although there are no bizarre ‘comb and paper’ effects. Instead there are more ravishingly gentle contributions from Montserrat Figueras which rather steal the show.
The music of El Canto de la Sibilla II has a long and complex history but was incorporated into the Spanish liturgy in the 12th century. Although the Council of Trent later demanded its withdrawal, it survived in some cathedrals until quite recently. As presented here, a radiant, decorated vocal line (Figueras again) alternates with sonorous choruses with an underlying organum character, and in spite of the spare instrumental contribution (with psaltery), the choral progressions rather reminded me of the vocal writing of John Tavener.
The Cantigas de Santa Maria are associated with Alfonso X El Sabio. He was King of Castile in the second half of the 13th century, and a few of the songs were attributed to him. The melodies are short and plaintively modal: some are treated as solos (Figueras), others are choral (and often jolly) and there are instrumental interludes, beautifully played, and even a bell. How authentic this all is it is difficult to guess, but Savall is never short on enterprise or imagination, and the result is quite hypnotic.'
Tye Lawdes Deo
Savall Edition, Volume 14
Couperin Les Apothéoses
Marais Alcione
Demachy Piéces de Violle 1685
Alfonso X Cantigas de Santa Maria
Mudarra Libro tercero de musica en cifras y canto 1546
Bach Brandenburg Concertos BWV1046-51
El Canto de la Sibila II
Monteverdi Madrigali guerrieri e amorosi 1638
El Cancionero de Palacio
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