A Tale Of Two Cities In One

Another lavish book style release of two cd's by Jordi Savall is this one titled Jerusalem : The Town of the Two Peaces - Earthly Peace and Celestial Peace. As the book and the music on the disks illustrate, the history of the city is sadly and continually at odds with this concept and ideal. But it is another superbly put together project featuring Savall's Hesperion XXI and La Capella Real de Catalunya with guest appearances from featured singers and musicians and particularly the ensemble Al-Darwish from Galilee. The music is divided into segments, beginning with the apocalyptic associations with Jerusalem, then moving chronologically through history and the domination variously of Jewish, Crusader, Arab and Ottoman cultures, sections on the city as a place of pilgrimage for these various groups and also as a place to be exiled from. The final segment brings these strands together as a combination of the contributing musicians and as a beacon and symbol of hope for some peaceful settlement in our time. Riding over all however is the musical excellence contained herein. Folk and sacred elements combine and the whole makes a convincing drama. I particularly enjoyed the lively Crusader hymns and folk songs but the melancholic overall feel of the majority of the music is the lasting memory. We all know that musicians and ordinary people can c-exist peacefully and in harmony but how to convince politicians and religious leaders ?