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Review
Given electric performances and virile repertoire, early music regularly offers uplifting experiences, but do they hit you like bulletins ripped from today s news? Not often.
Matters are different in Jerusalem. Time and again the 52 tracks of Jordi Savall s bumper project bring you slap up against the continuing tragedy of Gaza of wrecked buildings, wailing people, and faiths at war. There will be a great peace throughout the world, until the end of time, sings Montserrat Figueras on track two, following the Greek text of a Sibylline oracle.
The rest of the programme uses the history of Jerusalem to plead for that elusive world peace. Jews, Christians, Arabs, Turks, Armenians are all given a voice in music and words from across the centuries, with different religions and cultures battling for dominance and a homeland as the end of time ticks closer...
As Savall and Manuel Forcano s collection advances, the heart is still moved, the mind still whirrs. Whatever the language and culture adopted, Figueras throbs with humanity. Instrumentally, Savall, Hespèrion XXI and their guests always give us splendour. Track by track you listen, learn, read and wonder. Jerusalem may not bring world peace any closer, but you ll never read the Gaza headlines in quite the same way again. --Geoff Brown, The Times, January, 2009
As always with Savall, the whole thing has the sense of a scrupulous piece of historical and musicological research...there are certainly some fascinating moments, as well as some striking imagery. --The Guardian, January, 2009
A lot of care has been taken in the historical shape, the repertoire and the artists it's a territory where early music and world music meet to create beautiful and powerful performances. --SIMON BROUGHTON, Evening Standard, 16 January 2009
Matters are different in Jerusalem. Time and again the 52 tracks of Jordi Savall s bumper project bring you slap up against the continuing tragedy of Gaza of wrecked buildings, wailing people, and faiths at war. There will be a great peace throughout the world, until the end of time, sings Montserrat Figueras on track two, following the Greek text of a Sibylline oracle.
The rest of the programme uses the history of Jerusalem to plead for that elusive world peace. Jews, Christians, Arabs, Turks, Armenians are all given a voice in music and words from across the centuries, with different religions and cultures battling for dominance and a homeland as the end of time ticks closer...
As Savall and Manuel Forcano s collection advances, the heart is still moved, the mind still whirrs. Whatever the language and culture adopted, Figueras throbs with humanity. Instrumentally, Savall, Hespèrion XXI and their guests always give us splendour. Track by track you listen, learn, read and wonder. Jerusalem may not bring world peace any closer, but you ll never read the Gaza headlines in quite the same way again. --Geoff Brown, The Times, January, 2009
As always with Savall, the whole thing has the sense of a scrupulous piece of historical and musicological research...there are certainly some fascinating moments, as well as some striking imagery. --The Guardian, January, 2009
A lot of care has been taken in the historical shape, the repertoire and the artists it's a territory where early music and world music meet to create beautiful and powerful performances. --SIMON BROUGHTON, Evening Standard, 16 January 2009
CD Description
Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, in the company of Jewish, Christian and Muslim musicians from Israel, Palestine, Greece, Syria, Armenia, Turkey, England, Fr4ance, Spain, Italy, Belgium, as well as their own ensembles Hesperion XXI and Capella Reial de Catalunya, portray the chequered fortunes of Jerusalem in a freize of texts and music evoking her protagonists. Jewish, Arab and Christian music from ancient times to the present day highlights Jerusalem as a city that looks forward to the possibility of achieving the two peaces proclaimed in its name.
"This project was conceived as a hommage to Jerusalem, the city endlessly built and destroyed by man and his quest for the sacred and for spiritual power. Through the power of music and words, this fruit of passionate amd committed collaboration of musicians, poets, researchers, writers and historians from 14 nations as well as Alia Vox and the CIMA Foundation teams, has become a fervent invocation to Peace."
Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, Autumn 2008
"This project was conceived as a hommage to Jerusalem, the city endlessly built and destroyed by man and his quest for the sacred and for spiritual power. Through the power of music and words, this fruit of passionate amd committed collaboration of musicians, poets, researchers, writers and historians from 14 nations as well as Alia Vox and the CIMA Foundation teams, has become a fervent invocation to Peace."
Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, Autumn 2008
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
yet accessible to most listeners. At first I thought it seemed a bit expensive, but when I realised that the 2 CDs come in the end covers of a hardcover book over 400 pages long, with comprehensive notes & lyrics in English, Arabic, Hebrew, French, Spanish, Catalan & Italian, complete with many colour reproductions of old illustrations of Jerusalem as well as the various musicians,I wondered if they made any profit at all. The music is varied & the singers & musicians perform beautifully, while the sound quality is as good as any I have heard. As an indirect appeal for peaceful coexistence between Israel & a future Palestine, it is also extremely moving, especially at the end when an Egyptian tune I knew ages ago as "Ya banat Iskandariyya" & also as a completely different Turkish song, turns out to be perhaps one of the oldest surviving traditional tunes, with different texts in Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, & Ladino (no, not Latin)which are juxtapositioned as a conclusion.I thoroughly recommend it.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The SACD surround recordings are superb, the acoustic of the recording venues has been captured extremely well, it does not overwhelm but makes you feel like you are there.
The selection of music and other materiel is eclectic in the extreme, fortunately the 400 page hard back book that forms the SACD case is very well written in 8 languages, and very informative. Giving not only the background to the music but also an overview of Jerusalem's history from 19th century BCE to the current day.
How good is this SACD? I was loaned it by a friend last night & have my credit card in my hand as I type, to order my copy today.
The selection of music and other materiel is eclectic in the extreme, fortunately the 400 page hard back book that forms the SACD case is very well written in 8 languages, and very informative. Giving not only the background to the music but also an overview of Jerusalem's history from 19th century BCE to the current day.
How good is this SACD? I was loaned it by a friend last night & have my credit card in my hand as I type, to order my copy today.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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6 reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful and interesting collection
24 July 2009
Format:Audio CD
This is quite a fascinating cd. It includes a large book in 8 languages, and two very interesting cds.
The music on here is a collection of early works and compositions that consist of chant, songs, dances and texts that are spoken and sung from the Qa'ran, the Bible, and the Talmud. There are also texts in Greek, Latin, French, Aramaic, and Ladino that reflect the range of Jewish peoples and crusaders that seek out this important religious center.
The playing is above par and masterfully executed by Jordi Savall and specialists in early music, Hebrew music and Arabic chant and dance. You really get a feel for the music of the people that have occupied and fought over this land. The book is interesting, full of texts and translations - a little apocalyptic and overly zionist, but very interesting, my main complaint is that there isn't much of musicological value that discusses the sources and background to the music. There's a bit, but not quite the usual information found in other Savall cds.
I would reccomend anyone who is interested in early music, world music, and historical and sacred texts to understand and further appreciate the value of Jerusalem.
The music on here is a collection of early works and compositions that consist of chant, songs, dances and texts that are spoken and sung from the Qa'ran, the Bible, and the Talmud. There are also texts in Greek, Latin, French, Aramaic, and Ladino that reflect the range of Jewish peoples and crusaders that seek out this important religious center.
The playing is above par and masterfully executed by Jordi Savall and specialists in early music, Hebrew music and Arabic chant and dance. You really get a feel for the music of the people that have occupied and fought over this land. The book is interesting, full of texts and translations - a little apocalyptic and overly zionist, but very interesting, my main complaint is that there isn't much of musicological value that discusses the sources and background to the music. There's a bit, but not quite the usual information found in other Savall cds.
I would reccomend anyone who is interested in early music, world music, and historical and sacred texts to understand and further appreciate the value of Jerusalem.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Ambitious, but Savall's Reach Exceeds His Grasp
1 Jan 2010
Format:Audio CD
In two well-filled CDs, Jordi Savall, wife Montserrat Figureras, and colleagues attempt to paint a picture of Jerusalem's history in sound. The recording begins with the sound of shofars in a Jericho fanfare, which is presumably intended to evoke Joshua's circumnavigation of that other city. Following sections comprise a selection of music and texts representative of the Jerusalem's time as a Jewish, Christian, and Arab/Ottoman city, as well as songs of pilgrimage and lament over the holy city. Spoken texts include excerpts from the Talmud, Koran, a non-canonical gospel, and Pope Urban's call to the first crusade.
Savall's ensemble Hesperion XXI is joined by singers and instrumentalists from Israel, Palestine, Armenia, Greece, Morocco, and elsewhere. The music from Palestine is played by the Sufi Group Al- Darwish. The performances are superb, and the SACD sound is first-rate. "The whole thing has the sense of a scrupulous piece of historical and musicological research," as Andrew Clements has written in the Guardian, "even if it doesn't all gel into a satisfying experience." In May 2010 Savall is bringing this program to the Boston Early Music Festival, and I suspect that the program may be more effective in concert than on disc.
The accompanying book is beautifully done but reaches 435 pages in length only because it is in eight languages. As a previous reviewer has noted, the essays focus on the history of Jerusalem and its musical tradition and provide relatively little detail about the specific selections in the recording.
Savall's ensemble Hesperion XXI is joined by singers and instrumentalists from Israel, Palestine, Armenia, Greece, Morocco, and elsewhere. The music from Palestine is played by the Sufi Group Al- Darwish. The performances are superb, and the SACD sound is first-rate. "The whole thing has the sense of a scrupulous piece of historical and musicological research," as Andrew Clements has written in the Guardian, "even if it doesn't all gel into a satisfying experience." In May 2010 Savall is bringing this program to the Boston Early Music Festival, and I suspect that the program may be more effective in concert than on disc.
The accompanying book is beautifully done but reaches 435 pages in length only because it is in eight languages. As a previous reviewer has noted, the essays focus on the history of Jerusalem and its musical tradition and provide relatively little detail about the specific selections in the recording.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Excellent work
30 Jan 2010
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I enjoy both contemporary and classic works from Philip Glass to the Medieval Babes, Jerusalem fits closer the latter. It is an interesting fusion of mid eastern and european work.
I really like listening to this album and recommend it to anyone who enjoys this kind of music as well.
I really like listening to this album and recommend it to anyone who enjoys this kind of music as well.
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