Hesperion XXI, Panagiotis Neochoritis, La Capella Reial De Catalunya, Le Concert - Venezia Millenaria

Published Friday 2nd February 2018
Hesperion XXI, Panagiotis Neochoritis, La Capella Reial De Catalunya, Le Concert - Venezia Millenaria
Hesperion XXI, Panagiotis Neochoritis, La Capella Reial De Catalunya, Le Concert - Venezia Millenaria

STYLE: World
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 168579-
LABEL: Alia Vox AVSA9925
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 3
EXTRAS: Book, 2 SACDs

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

While we would never judge a book by its cover our first response on seeing this was, to use a technical term, Wow! We start with a fully illustrated and beautifully presented 340 page hardback book and even if you can read none of the six languages in which it is written the pictures alone are well worth a look. As well as texts and translations we get five background essays such as a concise and erudite but still very readable Venice: A Historical Sketch by John Julius Norwich. And then there is the music: more than two and a half hours from around the world but all leading back to or flowing from Venice over a period of more than one thousand years. We start with an eighth century fanfare to announce the birth of Venice as a refugee camp as the locals flee to the lagoon to escape from the invading Lombards. Then in 828 the relics of St Mark of Alexandria are (ahem) "rescued" from Egypt and brought to the new St Mark's Church in Venice, here illustrated by a "Hallelujah" composed in the Byzantine style by Ioannes Damaskinos. And on we go with many great events and notable characters accompanied by a varied selection of music, both sacred and secular and all played by some or all of Hesperion XXI, Panagiotis Neochoritis, La Capella Reial De Catalunya, and Le Concert Des Nations somehow all held together by the redoubtable Jordi Savall. SACD One takes us as far as the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, here marked by a madrigal by Joan Brudieu (1520-1591). SACD Two opens with the construction of the Cathedral Church of San Giorgio dei Greci with a setting of Psalm 35 by Claude Goudimel (1510-1572) and Ambrosius Lobwasser (1515-1585) and no, I had not heard of them either. However we do hear some of the greats later, with an extract from Monteverdi's opera 'Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda' from 1638, a cantata by Antonio Vivaldi to celebrate the marriage of Louis XV, then Mozart pops by while the Greeks revolt against the Turks, hence an extract from his piano sonata 'Alla turca' in a lively arrangement by Savall before Venice's independence is ended with the arrival of Napoleon in 1797. To mark this we get a marvellous adaptation for four-part male choir and organ or piano of a text by Adolphe Joly and music by Beethoven with his Allegretto from his Seventh Symphony and the final Allegro from the Fifth Symphony, arranged by Savall. When I try to describe all the treasures in this collection - and I have scarcely begun to do it justice - it sounds confusing but with the discs playing and the book open before me it all made sense and, what is more important, all sounded superb. This is quite probably the most obscure collection that will come my way this year but it could also be the most enjoyable.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Reader Comments

Posted by Mark Hill in Northampton UK @ 14:11 on Feb 5 2018

A very helpful and will written article. Excellent information to have which can only add to the understanding and enjoyment when listening to the music.



The opinions expressed in the Reader Comments are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms.

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