Album: Jordi Savall, Hespèrion XXI Pro Pacem (Alia Vox)

This latest of Jordi Savall's multi-lingual CD-book projects focuses not on a single historical figure or period, but on the notion of peace, transmitted through the music of wide-ranging cultures and eras.

Four essays by internationalist commentators are accompanied by terrifying statistics about economics, war and nuclear explosions, and more agreeably by music ranging from 2nd century Greek Oracles to Arvo Part's “Da Pacem Domine”, via Parabosco, Tye and Purcell. The period instrument specialists from Savall's Hespèrion XXI and voices from La Capella Reial de Catalunya lay down beautifully simple settings for guest vocalists from various cultures, notably the gorgeous tones of Montserrat Figueras.

Download: Les Oracles Sibyllins; Senhora del mundo; Da Pacem Domine