War & Peace 1614-1714, Part 1

Program: #15-24   Air Date: Jun 08, 2015

NOTE: all of the music on these programs is from the new release/book by Jordi Savall.It is on the Alia Vox label and is CD ASVA 9908.

CD 1 

INTRODUCTION

 

1.Pavane pour la petite « guaire » (guerre), fait pour les Cornetz en 1601

Recueil de Philidor  

1613  L’Empire ottoman attaque la Hongrie 

Makam « Muhayyer pesrev » – Marche Guerrière Ottomane. Anonyme (instr.) 

2.Taksim

3.Marche Turque

 

Du début de la Guerre de Trente Ans au Traité de Nimègue

1614 - 1689

1614 Massacre des juifs à Francfort

4. Ha lahma ‘anya – Plainte en Araméen 

1618  Prague, début de la Guerre de Trente Ans

5.Galliard Battaglia à 5 Voci. Cantus XXI

Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) 

1624/25 Breda est assiégée par les troupes espagnoles

6. Romance : Ya es tiempo de recoger 

Lope de Vega / Anonyme

1635  La Paix de Prague 

7. Zion spricht : Der Herr hat mich verlassen

Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630)  

1636  Richelieu déclare la guerre à l’Espagne

Anonyme (Mss. Philidor)

8.Charivaris pour les hautbois 

9.Gavotte en suitte

1640  Guerra dels Segadors « El Corpus de Sang »

1641 Janvier. Pau Claris exprime sa volonté de constituer une République Catalane

10. Catalunya comptat gran (Traditionnel / Jordi Savall)

11. Hymne de la Catalogne (Traditionnel / Jordi Savall)

La Catalogne accepte la souveraineté de Louis XIII

12. Intrada-Geschwindt-Langsamer-Sarabande

Suites d’Orchestre – Guillaume Dumanoir (1615-1697)

1645 Guerre de l’Empire Ottoman contre Venise

13.Taksim & Makam « Uzzäl uşūleş Darb-I feth »

Dervis Mehmed (Mss. Dimitrie Cantemir N.209)

1648  Paix de Westphalie. Fin de la Guerre de 30 ans

14. Siehe an die Werke Gottes   

Johann Rosenmüller (1617-1684)

  1649  Guerre civil en Angleterre

15.The Newark Siege

John Jenkins (1592-1678)

1652  Les Institutions catalanes reconnaissent Philippe IV d’Espagne comme souverain de Catalogne

16. Philippus Rex Hispaniæ (Fanfare instrumental et vocal)

Jordi Savall d’après Ambrosio Cotes (1550?-1603)

1659  La Paix des Pyrénées

17. Jubilate Deo « Le Motet de la Paix » (LWV 77/16)

Célébration de l’entrée royale à Paris, en 1660

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687)

1669  Les Vénitiens sont expulsés de Crête par les Ottomans

18.Der makām-ı Räst « Murass’a » uşūleş Düyek

  1678  Célébration du Traité de Nimègue 

Alceste – Jean-Baptiste Lully 

19.Marche des Combattants

20.Menuet (LWV 50)

1689 Guillaume III est couronné Roi d’Angleterre

21. Praise the Lord, O my soul

John Blow (1649-1708)

 

From Music Web International:

This appears to be a small format coffee-table book which just happens to have a pair of SACDs inserted into the back and front covers. It is printed on thick shiny paper and is bursting with colour illustrations and photographs. The 396 pages cover the same set of essays in six different languages. The main publicity is in French, as above, but the booklet pages from 70 to 121 are a full account in English of the aims of the issue along with details of the music and performers.

To work out exactly who is involved in each performance takes some cross-referencing between listings on different pages. There is a heart-felt essay on War and Peace by Jordi Savall which needs to be read to get an overview of the music. About half is a considered commentary on the development of music in the period 1614 to 1714.

The latter part is an emotional call for peace and understanding between nations. There is more about the music in the essay entitled 'A century of music in Europe'. The historical events are summarised in another article and still more essays are essentially anti-war rhetoric but they serve the important purpose of making the reader think about our unfortunate tendency to kill each other rather than negotiate around a table. The issue could not be more timely and all the essays make interesting reading. From a listener's standpoint a little more about the music would have been welcome but since this issue contains very few complete works and is more of a potpourri, the information given is sufficient for the purpose.

The listing below shows that many contemporary composers from all over Europe are represented, along with a sprinkling of music from the Ottoman Empire played on authentic instruments. Savall and his Hesperion XXI musicians show their usual chameleon-like ability to perform on all known instruments. Whether performing some oriental dance or a Handel masterpiece they always sound totally authentic. The whole 155 minutes has been either recorded in or remixed to five channel surround to magnificent effect. This is a demonstration disc if ever I heard one. The impression of space is very convincing without obscuring the many details of instrumentation or the words.

All sung texts are present with parallel translations. There is a tiny burst of sound caused by an editing error in tr.17 of CD 1. This will make you jump but does not require a health warning. The work of Manuel Mohino in preparing this complex recording must be acknowledged. He shows just how good SACD surround can be.

Composer Info

John Blow (1649-1708), Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687), Jordi Savall d’après Ambrosio Cotes (1550?-1603), John Jenkins (1592-1678), Johann Rosenmüller (1617-1684), Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654), Guillaume Dumanoir (1615-1697), Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630).

CD Info

CD ASVA 9908