Wot, No Windmils ?

Another lavish production from Jordi Savall with Montserrat Figueras, Hesperion XXI and La Capella Real de Catalunya is this two disk set, again presented together with a hardback book, Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quijote de la Mancha Raomances y Musicas. The disks consist of atmospheric readings from the text in a spacious acoustic, often accompanied by solo harp, viol, guitar etc, and ballads that are relevant to the ideas and events portrayed in the book. Some of these ballads are written by Cervantes himself and it is a feature of the book how often music is mentioned, either in the form of song or as dance to accompany the action. These dance numbers and lively songs also feature, as does some sacred choral music from the period. The readings are of course in Spanish and although there are translations of the text in the accompanying book, it is not necessary to know exactly what is being said to delight in their delivery. The disks follow the narrative of the book and highlight many of the memorable events, though there have to be omissions of course. No tilting at windmills for instance. A significant musician amongst the many featured in the two ensembles is Andrew Lawrence-King. Several times I was reminded of Missa Mexicana, the disk his group the Harp Consort made of Spanish American sacred music and folk dance amalgams. The disks end with Don Quijote regaining some sanity at his death and with a poignant requiem. Listening is a very civilised way to lose oneself in a world for an evening.

Caucasian Melancholy

American Viola player of Armenian descent Kim Kashkashian has carved a niche for herself in the realm of contemporary Caucasian melancholy. The title piece of this disk, Neharot, Neharot, is by Israeli composer Betty Olivero. The title refers to rivers in Hebrew and specifically, rivers of tears shed by widows of war and conflict. The solo viola echoes the human voice and is surrounded by two string ensembles, accordion and percussion along with taped voices. Influences in the work range from fragments of Kurdish melody to Monteverdi. The Munchener Kammerorchester under Alexander Liebreich accompany. The middle section of the disk centres on pieces by Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian, a substantial work that is a kind of viola concerto in all but name accompanied by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project conducted by Gil Rose, a shorter piece with Kashkashian simply accompanied by understated percussion and a solo piano piece played by Mansurian and based on the music of legendary Armenian composer and folk musicologist Komitas. The disk ends with a work by another Israeli, Eitan Steinberg for viola and string quartet which sees Kashkashian joined by the Kuss Quartet. The overall feel remains melancholic but this evocation of a kabbalistic prayer to be said over a Sabbath meal also gives solace and reminds that there are more things binding humanity than there are dividing it.

Music From The Cradles Of Civilisation

I have an ambivalent attitude to the Kronos Quartet. On paper, they should be an ensemble that I would embrace wholeheartedly. Adventurous repertoire, forever searching for new fields to plough, open minded and far reaching in their outlook. But I can't help being a little put off by a hint of desperation in their attempts to be trendier than thou, with every ethnic culture ripe for plunder, any culture acceptable apart from one's own. That said, I have taken the plunge again with this disk, Floodplain. The conceit here is to take music from cultures associated with the floodplains of great rivers and to try to establish some link. The links are tenuous in many circumstances from the Danube, to the Nile, Euphrates, Indus, Ganges, Volga and so on. But even if the concept doesn't completely hang together, there is fine music throughout. Guest artist appearances are limited, from the somewhat spurious noodlings of Ramallah Underground to the much more potent vocals of Azerbaijani father and daughter duo Alim Qasimov and Fargana Qasimova. The pieces rooted in traditional folk musics or the classical traditions of Persia and India work far better than those incorporating Arab pop. Showing the same strenghs and weaknesses as Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road project and the work of Osvaldo Golijov, in the final analysis the disk still holds together as a work full of soul and humanity.

Echoing Down The Centuries

Tenor John Potter has a track record of participation in projects that link early music with the contemporary through such collaborations as those of the Hilliard Ensemble and the Dowland Project. Whereas the Dowland Project is very much his baby, on this disk his particiapation is perhaps more that of a hired hand for electronic composer Ambrose Field. The disk is titled Being Dufay and it takes the music of Dufay from the 15th century as a jumping off point for improvisations and compositions using electronica that melds found sounds from everyday life with manipulations and distortions of Potter's vocals which are occasionally allowed to sing the theme uninterrupted and pure. The effect is one of music echoing down the centuries through some kind of time machine, forever in the ether, neither here nor there. Field's stated aim is to remove the mechanical and atificial from the electronics and incorporate them into a human whole, personal and expressive. To a very large extent this succeeds, though if I am being honest, I will admit to being likely to spin my disk of unadulterated Dufay with more frequency than this one, intriguing as it is.

When The Gods Meddle, Look Out

The subject matter for French baroque opera tends towards the loopy and Semele by Marin Marais is no exception. Princess Semele is promised by her father as a prize to a victorious general but she loves a more humble boy who turns out to be the god Jupiter in disguise, who has become smitten by this human. Semele is delighted when this is revealed but the general is miffed and asks Jupiter's godly wife Juno to intervene. All ends badly and the city is destroyed along with everyone in it when Jupiter is forced to reveal himself in all his awesome godliness. But hey, Semele gets installed at Juno's right hand in the land of the gods so all is not necessarily lost. So far, so silly but once one has read the synopsis it can thankfully be ignored in this fine performance by Le Concert Spirituel under Herve Niquet. Aided by a fine chorus and soloists, Marais's fine music is done full justice. The whole is built upon the essence of the dance and while there are no real standout arias, the pace moves smartly along and there are memorable tunes in the instrumental interludes of preludes and dances. This is a work that is unlikely to enter the performance repertoire which makes this recording all the more important as a document. It can be listened to as delightful baroque music making without bothering too much about the work's standing as an opera.

Just Watch Me Now

I won't bore anyone with my tales of the times that I worked with David Bowie ( very marginally as a concert DJ ) But nostalgia inspired me to reconnect with The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Of course, Bowie has had a long chameleon like career but for me this and the preceding Hunky Dory remain the peaks of his output. They are certainly the most consistent with no weak tracks ( well, maybe the one he didn't write, It Ain't Easy, is close to being a filler ) One thing that struck me on listening to this for the first time in years was the way that it is very much a band album despite Bowie's dominance. Mick Ronson's importance as guitarist and arranger is widely acknowledged but on this digitally remastered version the contributions of the rhythm section of Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey are highlighted strongly. Bowie's vocals are strong and characterful throughout and there are some fine tunes for singalongs. The lyrics are witty and knowing, notably the use of what was already outdated slang such as out of sight, far out, blow our minds etc. The song Star spells out the entire blueprint of the Ziggy project ( just watch me now ) and Bowie followed it masterfully aided by Svengali manager Tony Defries. People may point to links back to the Velvet Undeground ( though not as overtly as on Hunky Dory ) but it was noticeable to me how proto-punk many of the tracks were such as Hang On To Yourself and Suffragette City. While Soul Love was a nod to Bowie's own mod roots. Not just nostalgia then but a landmark in pop rock music and a document on the inner workings of the biz for those who want to examine it.

What's The Problem ?

Another anniversary linked disc this month from BBC Music magazine with a performance of Mahlers's Symphony No 7 by the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. It is a live recording from a shared cycle of all Mahler symphonies that the BBC Phil and the Halle gave in Manchester. I've already posted about the work in relation to the commercial recording I have by Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic, also a live recording. I'm not one for comparative listening to competing performances. Suffice to say this recording holds its' own very well and I would be happy to have it as my only version had it worked out that way. I wasn't aware at any point of why it should be considered to be Mahler's problem symphony, all five movements containing many fine moments.

The Home Of The Concept Album

It would be easy to become obsessive about collecting the sumptuously packaged and meticulously researched releases from Jordi Savall's Alia Vox label, even without considering the musical content. The concept album is alive and well and residing in Catalonia. The premise behind this two disk set ( packaged together with an illustrated 300 page book ) is the life and times of St Francis Xavier, one of the founding lights of the Jesuits. Titled The Route To The Orient, it paints a musical portrait of the travels of Francis from southern France and northern Spain through to Rome and then travels to spread Christ's word in Africa, India, Indonesia, Japan and finally the borders of China where he succumbed to a tropical disease. Wisely perhaps, no time is spent on the more contentious of the Jesuits evangelical methods. Savall's core ensembles Hesperion XXI and La Capella Real De Catalunya are augmented by invited musicians playing oud and percussion from North Africa, sarod and tabla from India and shinobue and shakuhachi from Japan. The music ranges from French troubadour roots to Gregorian chant, courtly viol consorts and the improvisations of the invited musicians around the themes of the chants, which weave a narrative thread throughout the two disks. There is no hint of contrivance in the links posited and the entire project holds together perfectly.