Album of the day: Hespèrion XXI, “Diaspora Sephardi”

Hesperion XXI
“Sephardic Diaspora” (2 CD Aliavox AV 9809A)

Jordi Savall is probably the most famous viola da gamba soloist in the world; his instrumental skill combined with a
His scrupulous philological care in the production of ancient scores has made him well known even among non-specialist audiences; over the years Savall has created numerous fascinating projects for his own Aliavox label both as a soloist and as a conductor.
“Diaspora Sefardì” is among the most beautiful albums recorded by the Catalan musician, who on this occasion shifts his attention towards a repertoire of very little recorded frequency, the music of the Sephardic Jewish populations.

Expelled by decree from the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile in 1492, the Jews found themselves forced to wander through various European countries, and many later ventured as far as the coasts of Africa and the Mediterranean. During these wanderings, artistic and cultural influences from different countries were absorbed into Sephardic musical life, incorporating Arab, North African, Turkish, Greek, Romanian, and Bosnian elements, giving rise to a varied culture with a highly expressive artistic connotation.

The Ensemble Hespèrion XXI (founded and directed by Savall) leads us on this journey that touches the shores of Sarajevo, Smyrna,
Jerusalem, Rhodes, Sofia and Thessaloniki masterfully recreating a world of whose cultural traditions few testimonies remain, bringing together within the beautiful album medieval songs and romances of the Sephardim of the East, intended for both liturgical and profane moments: lullabies (“Nani, Nani”) songs to celebrate funerals (“Por que llorax blanca niña”), weddings and births, love romances, all sung in Spanish (with strong Catalan influences), which the Sephardic tradition has always preserved. Splendid melodies have crossed many centuries reaching the hands of these musicians who interpret them with rigor and passion.

In addition to Savall, we find talented performers such as Pedro Memelsdorff on flutes and Andrew Lawrence-King on double harp, who are married to instruments such as the oud, psaltery, medieval lute (sarod), lyre and percussion, weaving a wonderful blanket above which the voice of Montserrat Figueras soars very high with exciting results.
Excellently recorded, the album also contains lyrics and presentation in Italian (which is quite rare)

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.