Jordi Savall, eminent violist hailing from Catalunya, once again works his period magic with the help of Hesperion XX. Savall is perhaps best-known for his recordings of French Baroque music by Lully, Sainte Colombe and Marais (for example, Tous Les Matins du Monde/Dix Ans Apres), although he has extensively explored other early music genres such as Spain's Golden Age or Eastern music from Turkey, Afghanistan, and beyond.

On Music from Christian and Jewish Spain, Savall has divided the work into two separate discs. The first disc is devoted to Spanish court music from Spain's Age of Discoveries (1492-1553), consisting mainly of villancicos, romances, and recercadas. This is not my main area of expertise, but I would venture that these are court dances. According to the sparse liner notes, villancicos feature homophonic writing and contrast between the refrain and stanza, while romances are long narrative poems with ornamentation. The Cancionera de la Colombina relates to the son of Christopher Columbus.

The second disc is what primarily interests me; it's a lovely selection of Sephardic Romances (prior to 1492, when all Jews and Moors were expelled from Spain on the order of Isabella). Sephardim Jews had lived in Spain for centuries, with large communities in Cordoba and Toledo, and wrote many beautiful works in Ladino, a cross between Hebrew and Old Castilian (written in the Hebrew alphabet, Ladino is easy to read for a Spanish speaker when transcribed with the Latin alphabet). These haunting ballads are strongly influenced by Arabic musical modalities (Spain was under Islamic control from 711 CE-1492 CE, when Granada was captured by los Reyes Catolicos, Ferdinand and Isabella). After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, Sephardim dispersed to Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, and beyond, taking their language, culture, and music with them (the beautiful cover art is taken from an early 14th-century Hebrew bible from Portugal).

Savall's wife, soprano Montserrat Figueras, sounds equally at home on both the Christian villancicos and the Sephardic romances, but of the two styles, I felt that she really shined when singing in Ladino; the combination of period instruments such as Saracen chitarra and Figueras's haunting delivery make you feel as though you've just stepped back in time. There's a stark contrast between the heavily ornamented style of the Spanish court music (heavy on strings) and the sparse backing of the Sephardic ballads, where the focus is on the lyrics and the singer. Some songs feature heavy use of Arabic percussion (Una matica de ruda).

Overall, this is a beautiful, balanced look at two major styles of period Spanish music (the third, and one of my favorites, is mudejar, the culture of Muslims who remained under Christian rulers until their expulsion in 1492). It has been digitally remastered and sounds as fresh as if it had been recorded yesterday. Savall also revisited Sephardic ballads on the more recent release Diáspora Sefardí, also featuring vocals by Montserrat Figueras, but Music from Christian and Jewish Spain is still an excellent introduction to both early Christian court music and Sephardic ballads.

This is an album of mysterious, beautiful music that transports you to the late 15th Spain. The music is rich, sensual, and relaxing. The music is sung in medieval Spanish ( which sounds quite a bit like Portugese crossed with Italian), and has an exotic, very middle eastern quality to it. Other songs exhibit the beginnings of Spanish folk music. I am a writer currently writing a book set in the time period and find this music a great, relaxing companion while I write my novel. Four stars!

Music from Christian and Jewish Spain. CD 1: Court Music and Songs from the Age of Discovery 1492 - 1553. (Songs and instrumental pieces from the Cancionera de Colombina, the Canconiero de Palacio and the Cancionero de Uppsala plus three Recercadas by Ortiz). CD 2: Sephardic Romances from the Age before the expulsion of the Jews from Spain 1492. Performed by Hespèrion XX (= Montserrat Figueras, soprano; Jordi Savall, violas da gamba and bowed Saracen chitarra; Hopkinson Smith, lute and Saracen chitarra; Lorenzo Alpert, recorder and percussion; Arianne Maurette and Pere Ros, violas da gamba; Pilar Figueras, bagpipes; Gabriel Garrido, percussion). Recorded in November 1975 at the Münstermuseum in Basel, Switzerland. Total playing time: 1 hr 48 mins 25 secs. Re-released in 1999 as Virgin Veritas 561 591 2.

Montserrat Figueras has been described by a professional German music critic as the "Maria Callas of Early Music" because of the intensity and expressiveness of her interpretations. She has developed over the years a specifically Spanish way of performing early Iberian repertoire, and even on this comparatively early analogue recording from 1975 (now quite carefully digitally re-mastered with only a minimum of extraneous noise) what you get to hear is absolutely unmistakeably Spanish, including the Moorish influences that even a layman probably associates with this period. Figueras does not only sing here, she declaims, she shouts, she rejoices, she dances with her voice, negotiating, particularly on the second of the two CDs (the Sephardic Song), some incredibly difficult rhythms and what sound to me like semi- and quarter-tones, giving the whole an amazingly Oriental feeling without ever seeming to be forced. This is re-inforced by the instrumental accompaniments, which, I assume, were worked out by the group as the notation of this music is presumably very sparse (as is the case with most very early music). At any rate, whether it is the slightly more European sounding "Christian" Spanish music of the Age of Columbus or the passionate world of Sephardic song, the whole performance breathes dedication, identification with the music, absolute musicality and the spirit of discovery which has brought the early music or HIPP scene to the fore over the past decades. The music here is so wonderful that, in combination with EMI's excellent recordings, it balances out somewhat the complete lack of documentation (no texts and an introduction which is hardly worth the name and is beggared even by the average Naxos folded card) and the fact that Virgin use cheap plastic CD trays which break at the first opportunity. After listening to this I went on to buy Montserrat Figueras's recording of Marin's "Tonos Humanos" on Alia Vox (Jordi Savall's own label).

This disc is pure magic that transends and defies definition. It is time period music that has been rereleased to capture the magic of the original recording. Each song is amazing. The music creates a mood that is best enjoyed alone ,in private so that your thoughts can be elevated to the point of inspiration. Although I like both discs I prefer the one that features Sephardic Romances over the disc that is Court Music and Songs. Montserrat Figueras angelic voice lends itself to beautiful interpretations of these beautiful songs from the Age before the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. This ancient music is preserved and freshly interpreted under the masterful leadership of Jordi Savall for an authentic recreation. If you have never heard Hesperion XX check this one out, it is fantastic. Recommended for classical music fans who want to hear something different. Once you hear Montserrat Figuerras voice you will feel the inspiration and be hooked on her angelic voice.

I was excitet buying this CD, expecting the quality of songs equal or better than
Begona Olavide and Carlos Paniagua on MA recodings. The music was fine but singing by soprano Montserrat Figueras was borderline annoying.

No, it's not a bad review.. But don't buy this disc unless you want to get sucked in to a wonderful world of new musical experiences.

It's a clever 'taster' disc that contains some wonderful, intriguing and diverse muscial pieces by jordi and his various ensembles, one or two tracks each from various discs he has made for his label Alia vox. There are the sombre viol pieces, the 'swinging' ensemble tunes, then the haunting pieces by Figuerras (- for me the Sephardic ones especially).

At first I had my few favorites, then I realised that I was beginning to like everything on the disc, then I was in love with some of the pieces because the sound was so delicious and foreign and exciting, and I had to hear more..

At first I wondered why this was such a cheap disc, but it wasn't really cheap - I have now bought eight other savall discs, all because of this one, and no, I haven't been disappointed.

You have been warned.

This disc features a variety of players or groups and individuals, including several of my favorites within this genre(time period music) such as Jordi Savall, Hesperion XX and Montserrat Figueras. The music was recorded between 1998-2001. Being relatively uninformed I can testify to the beauty of the timeless music from the ordinary perspective of an outsider to this type of music. My knowledge base is ziltch for time period music but I do know what I like and the music sends my spirit soaring. This is joyful, tranquil music that transcends musical timelines and boundaries infecting the listener with a feeling of peace. Some of the music is written by annoymous authors, much like the beautiful pieces of art you might see in a museum with only the tag of artist unknown, while some is written, in contrast, by well known composers like J.S. Bach. The music has a religious quality, very much like music performed on sacred days in ancient times. One particular song that has the qualities just mentioned is "Alfons V El Magnanim" that is performed twice(as nice) in succession in a slightly different manner. The second version features the lovely voice of Montserrat Figueras and all I can say is, it is exquisite. Her voice is featured on many of the songs and it is as though you are in cathedral and an angel has entered to take you on its wings. Some of the music was written as far back as the 1400's and you can only wonder how many souls this music has touched throughout the ages in one form or another. La Capella Reial De Catalunya further accentuates and compliments the textures by lending their collective voices to the lead vocals of Figueras. There are a variety of pieces or styles offered on this disc including some " Elizabethan Consort Music," a lovely piece by Le Consort Des Nations entitled "L'Orchestre Du Roi Soleil" and some music for the season. The soft, soothing qualities prevail throughtout the disc regardless of who is performing. The musical instruments are played enthusiastically, at times underemphasized but with an exuberance for the time period. If you are in the mood for some quiet music to fill you with joy than give this bargain disc a listen. The booklet is thick with a bilingual offering in English and French quotes but features very little information about the music featured on this particular disc. Instead the booklet is an offering of color photgraphs of the players in performance, including a beautiful portrait of husband and wife team Jordi Savall and Monsterrat Figueras as they are working together. By far the vast majority of the booklet is thirteen pages dedicated to other discs released by the featured performers and the instruments thay play such as harp, viola, lire, luth etc. Recommended music that reflects the season that has universal appeal and longevity. Running time is 78:37.

This is a truly inspirational disc that features several different artists. I came across this disc years ago because of my interest in time period music performed by Jordi Savall and the lovely voice of Monteserrat Figueras in the group Hesperion XX. Both are featured on this disc extensively. Listening to this music is almost like a religious experience, it elevates your senses beyond the mundane for a richly rewarding experience; it is an auditory time warp. Essentially this is a compilation of time period music with compositions mostly from the 1500's. Besides the fabulous work by Hesperion XX the disc also includes some interesting work by Hopkinson Smith on Vihuela while Figueras sings in her lovely soprano voice. There are also some nice orchestra pieces most notably by Issac Ibeniz on "Iberia, El Puerto" which is a lush theme that would sit well in a movie about Spain's Golden Age, Manuel de Falla's beautiful compostion of "El Sombrero De Tres Picos" as performed by Joven Orchestra Nacional de Espana and Roberto Gerhard's "Don Quijote Albada Danza" as performed by the Orchestra Sinfonica de Tenerife. Also of note is the work of Francisco Guerau and the magical baroque guitar of Hopkinson Smith as performed on "Treze diferencias de Canario." Listening to this music reminds one of the grandeur of Spains's past in the Age of Discovery. This is classical album for people like me, who really don't know that much about classical music but realizes good music when he hears it. Recommended for people who like to listen to time period music and the interpretations of Hesperion XX.

I did'nt really like classical music till i bought España - Anthology of Spanish Music CD. I really, really love this CD. If your an artist and sometimes lack inspiration, I recommend this CD! It will get you in the mood to paint!

Two complaints: no liner notes so any potential educational value is lost (I have a number of reference books around the house and some of these composers don't show up anywhere in them) and there is at least one extremely jarring organ work that blasts out of nowhere. A more listener friendly compilation would've sequenced the disc differently or left it out alltogether. That said, this is a wonderful collection of music that I have (mostly) never heard before. I'm glad Naive Astree saw fit to put a lot of obscure and out-of-print recordings together to form this audio introduction to an underappreciated canon.

Highlights include:

Track 8 - Jordi Savall (gamba), Ton Koopman (harpsichord), and Rolf Lislevand (lute) turn in a brief but jaunty chamber performance of Ortiz. Left me wanting more.

Track 11 - Hesperion XX give a haunting vocal performance of Morales' Pie Jesu Domine. I'm not one to ususally appreciate this sort of music (so consider me uninformed) but I found this truly beautiful.

Track 15 - features Hopkinson Smith on the baroque guitar performing a fascinating Guerau work. Descending arpeggios like gentle, trickling waterfalls. Smith is a stunning performer. I wish he was better known in the U.S.

Track 22 - from Haydn's original orchestral version of "The Seven Last Words Of Christ On The Cross," this is the one tempestuous movement from a work of mostly subdued music. Deep, powerful string sound from Savall's Le Concert Des Nations. Very well recorded.

While I'd like to know more about the works and the composers behind them there is so much here to be enjoyed on a purely aesthetic level that I can't whine too much. If you have any interest, by all means pick up this bargain. You will be introduced to a number of great performers and works.

This 1978 analogue recording from St. Savinien in France is one of a series of discs made by Jordi Savall for EMI in the late 70’s and re-released in the 90’s on Virgin’s mid-price Veritas Edition. The quality of the remastering is, as on the whole series, excellent; I had my doubts about the sound on this particular recording because of the unusual church acoustics and the variations in volume, but after experimenting around for a while, I discovered that by placing my speakers approximately 4 metres (11 feet) apart, I was able to obtain quite a realistic panorama. Fact is that Jordi Savall brought together no less than seven entire ensembles for this recording (his own Hespèrion XX and one other instrumental group plus five choirs!), and all those participants placed around a fairly large church building require a wide and deep room at home to sound as they were intended.

The music itself is quite fascinating, although the individual pieces tend to be repetitive and comparatively simple once one has comprehended the Spanish rhythms and the medieval mix of Latin and Old Spanish texts (the manuscript from which these songs were taken originated about 1400). Jordi Savall performs them with a very Spanish touch, using some extraordinary period instruments to create some quite exotic effects on those more rhythmical numbers (e. g. “Los set goyts recomtarem”) which are accompanied. Some of the other pieces are more reminiscent of Gregorian chant (“O Virgo splendens”) or even of today’s Taizé singing and are performed by the choirs much as they would have been all those centuries ago: as pieces intended for the entertainment and edification of Catholic pilgrims.

I also own the recording of these pieces by Philip Pickett’s New London Consort (published by Decca’s L’Oiseau-Lyre imprint in the 90’s). On the whole I think I prefer the Savall recording, although there are moments on the Pickett recording where he is able to transcend his rather “English” approach to this music and to rival Savall’s beauty and expressivity; but in its entirety, the Pickett recording tends to be a little too uniform and, possibly, a little too much influenced by today’s pop culture. Although in the end nobody knows how this music really sounded when it was first performed; today’s performances of medieval music are always determined by the preferences and choices of the performers.

I'm not a conesseur, but bought this on the advice of a review on NPR. It's a very nice CD of Baroque-era music.

The immediate impression this music makes is of a Falstaffian wit and zest. A slightly longer acquaintance makes one aware that Tobias Hume had all the arts of a major composer except scope; thus he remained and remains today a composer of eccentric and sometimes gaudy miniatures, one of a batallion of English 'gentlemen' who played and wrote for the viola da gamba with no concern for audiences, concerts, and such. I'd love to have old Toby in my salon some evening, sawing at his fiddle while we shared a bottle of madeira.

I've had that privilege with Jordi Savall, a man of wonderful, gentle Catalan fellowship as well as the very best gambist on the planet. Savall plays Hume as if Hume-ish were his native language, with such command of musical inflection as no other gambist can approach. His solo playing is the most attractive feature of this CD, though there's Humor aplenty in the words of Hume's songs. For a gambist or cellist of any skill, just listening to Jordi can teach you more about bowing than most lessons you might pay for. How to play the gamba? Play it like this!