Customer Reviews

El Nuevo Mundo-Folias Criollas

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Given the surge in interest which Spanish New World Baroque music has enjoyed in recent years, it seemed almost inevitable that Jordi Savall and his excellent team of musicians would return to this fascinating repertoire at some point. As always with CDs produced on his own 'Alia Vox' label, the production is sumptuous, both in terms of the recorded sound and the presentation, and it includes a lavish booklet of 169 pages (complete with full texts/translations and numerous illustrations).

In many respects, this recording forms a direct link with Savall's 2004 release entitled Villancicos y Danzas Criollas, although there are also some significant differences. Firstly, whilst repertory taken from Spanish colonial cathedral sources is still present here (e.g. tracks 11, 16 and 20), much greater emphasis is placed on indigenous/Creole music, both regarding that which still forms part of today's Latin American oral tradition (notably 'son jarocho') as well as repertoire preserved in collections, such as for tracks 2 and 18, like the Codex Martínez Compañón (an invaluable 9-volume work compiled c.1783-5 by the Bishop of Trujillo, which, alongside recording the ceremonies and customs of N. Peru, contains 20 songs/dances and 38 watercolour illustrations relating to music). In addition, like some of Savall's other recent releases, this recording is the fruit of a collaboration with invited musicians - here, the group Tembembe Ensamble Continuo, whose musicians come from Argentina, Columbia and Venezuela (and who also, incidentally, featured on Los Otros's recording La Hacha). Taken together, the combination of all these factors results in a compelling and highly evocative recording, irrespective of any concerns one might voice about the juxtaposition of two traditions within the same track - i.e. one which is very much alive today, the other 'frozen in time' in sources which are frequently intended for solo guitar (like Santiago de Murcia [Saldívar Codex no.4, 1732] and Gaspar Sanz [Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española, 1674], etc.).

Technically speaking, however, the title 'El Nuevo Mundo: Folias Criollas' is a bit misleading, given that the programme includes several pieces which both originated in and also reflect European (rather than Latin American) culture. Such is the case with the seguidillas 'De tu vista celoso' (track 9): not only is its source of Spanish provenance - it comes from the Cancionero Musical de Sablonara, compiled in c.1625 by the court copyist to Philip III (r.1598-1621) at the request of Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count of Neoburg and Duke of Bavaria (r.1614-53) - but even the 'seguidillas' dance itself originated in Spain before becoming 'creolised' in 18th century Latin America. Similarly, the two 'tonos humanos' (tracks 7 and 14) are inextricably connected with the Spanish court: Juan Hidalgo's 'Trompicávalas Amor', for example, comes from the finale of the zarzuela 'Los celos hacen estrellas' which was staged there in 1672. Yet perhaps the most curious addition to the programme is the improvisation based on 'Gagliarda [n.b. not as here 'Gallarda'] Napolitana' (track 1), a distinctly Italianate piece which comes from Antonio Valente's 'Intavolatura di cimbalo' (1576). Although its inclusion has been justified on the basis of its bass line, which resembles 3 traditional songs recorded here ('El Jarabe Loco' [track 1], 'Guabina de Vélez' [track 13] and 'Pan de Jarabe' [track 19]), this supposed link is probably no more significant than the melodic similarity of the 15th-century villancico 'Tres morillas m'enamoran' (no.24 in the Cancionero Musical de Palacio) and the opening of the second movement of Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony (No. 4 in A major, Op. 90). Incidentally, the interpretation of the Valente 'Gagliarda' also seems most unlikely, historically speaking, and some of the other tracks seem problematic from this perspective (e.g. the use of cornett and viols instead of violins in the Codex Martínez Compañón pieces, percussion in the 'tonos humanos', etc.).

Nevertheless, in spite of these grumbles, this really is a magnificent release - even by Savall's standards. As a side point, if you are a newcomer to this music, there are several other excellent recordings of this repertoire which would be well worth investigating alongside this one -

1. Any of the recent recordings by Florilegium (from their 'Bolivian Baroque' series), featuring the Arakaendar Bolivia Choir, made up entirely of Bolivian singers - Bolivian Baroque Vol. 2 [Hybrid SACD] is particularly good, in my view.
2. Two CDs by Ensemble Elyma - Fiesta Criolla (Bonus Dvd) and Juan de Araujo: L'Or et l'Argent du Haut-Pérou. (Sadly, recordings by this group are increasingly becoming like gold dust, but they are certainly worth purchasing if you get a chance...!)
3. Música en Tiempos de Velázquez by Ensemble La Romanesca (with Marta Almajano, soprano), a fine recording of Spanish music from the reigns of Philip III to Charles II, which includes numerous 'tonos humanos'.
4. Lastly, for a very different take on pieces from the Codex Martínez Compañón, but again interpreted within the context of Latin American oral traditions, the recording Son de los Diablos (Afro-Latin Tonadas from Peru) by Sapukái is incredibly infectious: it features 5 songs from this manuscript, set alongside other Afro-Hispanic tonadas from the Peruvian oral tradition, performed on numerous indigenous instruments (such as the zampoña zanca, quena, tiple and cajón, etc.).

Once in a while you take a chance and it pays off in spades! I ordered El Nuevo Mundo-Folias Criollas after hearing it reviewed on NPR. This is a stellar production from start to finish. it has not left my player since it arrived months ago. The quality of the musicianship, arrangements and recording are superb. I feel when I listen as if I've been transported to another era when life was simpler and yet somehow grander.

It is an excellent work by Jordi Savall and his ensamble. Tembembe ensamble is very good and as always, Montserrat Figueras is great.

Being an old-fashioned crank, I normally despise fusion of musical forms, particularly in classical music. I have recently come upon a delightful exception to that view. And that is the blending of traditional Mexican folk sounds with Spanish Baroque music. I find the mixture enchanting and exciting at the same time. It is a unique and amazing sound. After some research, I have been able to find only seven CDs that attempt this neat hat trick. I have listed them below. Since I love all seven, I will be essentially giving the same review for each. If you like the sound of one, you will most certainly like the others. I highly recommend you try at least one of them. You won't be disappointed.

1. El Nuevo Mundo, by Jordi Savall and Hesperion Xxi
2. Tinto, by Los Otros
3. La Hacha, by Los Otros
4. Aguirre, by Los Otros
5. Guitar Labyrinth (Laberinto en la guitarra), by Ensamble Continuo
6. Terra Nostra, by Constantinople
7. Premiers Songes - Early Dreams, by Constantinople

Yet another exceptional release in the ongoing series of musical and historical voyages of discovery by Savall and his trusty bands. But you knew that already. Didn't you?

If you love Savall's journeys through space and time, then my review won't matter one whit. But there are a number of reasons why I'm bothering. It's because:

1) It may be seen as an antidote or sequel to the sad, sad Columbus 2-disc set I auditioned and reviewed recently.
3) Even by the exalted sonic standards reached by the most recent Alia Vox recordings, this is something special.

The previous Columbus set was shot through by lament for `Lost Paradises', reflecting the tragedies of 1492: the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, forced Moorish conversion, the start of cultural genocide in South and Central America - all in the twin pursuit of gold and fundamentalist Christianity.

Well, this disc shows what happened next, and the result is musically surprising. The Native, Creole and Mestizo cultures recognised, assimilated and transformed the music of their conquerors. And the result is joyous- a series of instrumental and vocal pieces centred - of course- around the themes of love, death and religion. And it is easy to demonstrate the influence of Negro slave, native South American and even Spanish sub-cultures in the resulting melange.

And then we come to the sound. Alia Vox seems to have been able to produce a series of consistently exalted recordings. They tick all the standard audiophile boxes, of course: soundstage and dimensionality- check; reproduction of space and air, tonal and timbral accuracy, transparency to back stage. And so on. Boring.

But the bottom line is that this recording, despite having been compiled in as number of sessions through 2009/10 and a range of church/stone acoustic venues, is exceptionally truthful and natural. Basically, it sounds an awful lot like the real thing- an eclectic host of musicians and vocalist making music, and clearly having some fun at the same time.

I would give it six stars if I could. This rating is for the SACD layers, of course: I dread to think what 16-bit/44.1 KHz RBCD would do to this.

That's all you need to know.