21st Century Baroque

This is another of those disks occupying the area between early music and world music with some jazz tinges thrown in. On ECM new series, it is by Rolf Lislevand and called Nouve Musiche. As the sleeve note states, this is music from early baroque sources adapted and arranged by Lislevand. Lislevand himself plays archlute, baroque guitar and theorbo and he is joined by Arianna Savall on triple harp and vocals, Pedro Estevan on percussion, Bjorn Kjellemyr on double bass, Guido Morini on organ and clavichord, Marco Anbrosini on nyckelharpa and Thor-Harald Johnson on chitarrone. That instrumentation will give some idea of the sound world but the recording is very contemporary with the various pieces running together in a continuous improvisatory segue. The sources are from Italy, Spain and England from such as Kapsberger, Frescobaldi, and Piccinini. The modern influences brought to bear on the source material are predominantly Spanish and Latin American with the occasional celtic touch. Certainly not a disk for purists, those with an adventurous state of mind whose tastes are more eclectic will find much to enjoy. Lislevand's playing is certainly richly virtuosic and he is supported admirably by his colleagues. If you like L'Arpeggiata you will enjoy this.