Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Once again Jordi Savall and his merry band of musicians and singers lead us into an obscure musical byway. The early years of the 18th century saw the French Bourbon and Austrian Habsburg dynasties vying for supremacy in Catalonia and one of the ways they tried to demonstrate their superiority was through propaganda, which included sponsoring the best composers of the day to produce church music. So on one disc we hear 'Missa Scala Aretina' by Francesc Valls (1671-1747), first performed in Barcelona in 1702, and on disc two it is 'Messe A Deux Choeurs' by Henry Desmarest (1661-1741) from Versailles in 1704. Both are today relatively unknown but as ever Savall brings his knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to bring both back to life in this excellent recording. History records that the war ended with the Peace of Utrecht in 1713 and Spain in ruins. As to who wins the musical battle between Valls and Desmarest, I would say the honours are even. Both write tuneful baroque music that deserves to be better known. Perhaps tipping the balance are some reinforcements from Catalonia on disc one where Savall has gathered some folk music from the time of the wars between Spain and Catalonia. This section opens with "Batalla Imperial" by Johann Caspar Kerll and Joan Cabanilles which serves as an introduction to three ancient songs sung by people in Catalonia during the same period in which Valls's and Desmarest's Masses were performed. One traditional song, "Els Segadors" ("The Reapers") is now the national anthem of Catalonia which reminds us that the aftermath of the wars of the 18th century is with us to this day. As I have said, the musicianship is excellent throughout and the compositions are of sufficient interest to justify recommending this double SACD to all who enjoy broque choral music. As a bonus the accompanying fully illustrated CD booklet runs to over 250 pages with texts and translations in, among many, Catala (the language of Catalonia) and Castellano (the Spanish of Castille), as well as - praise be - English.

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