Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

I did not know how little I knew about King Alfonso X the Wise, king of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252-1284 until I read his story in the fascinating booklet that accompanies this SACD. While the notes run to 178 pages they are given in a Babel of languages and the English section runs to a manageable 14 pages, plus translations of the sung texts. In brief, he was a great patron of the arts and while he may not have written all the compositions that bear his name he probably paid for them and if you want to know more - read the booklet. However, anyone buying this impressive package should be more interested in the music than the essays accompanying it. The re-issue in re-mastered multi-channel sound was taken from the 1993 landmark recording with Montserrat Figueras, La Capella Reial de Catalunya and the musicians of the ensemble Hespèrion XX, with the addition of "O Ffondo Do Mar Tan Chao" recorded in 2008. The end result enables us to hear Jordi Savall and his ensembles at their best. Instrumental and vocal pieces alternate and paint a vivid picture of a repertoire that contributed much to the birth of Western music. If you need a clue as to what it all sounds like I would suggest a Spanish Hildegard of Bingen although the instrumental interludes are much more Mediterranean in atmosphere. The focus of the music is the praise, perhaps even worship, of the Virgin Mary. The Protestant part of me always feels uncomfortable when I read the translations of the texts. While Mary was the most remarkable lady ever to walk God's green earth it is her Son that saves us, not his mother. However putting these reservations to one side, I thoroughly enjoyed the music and listeners who want to travel back in time could do much worse than put themselves in the safe hands of Jordi Savall and his fellow travellers.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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