Jordi Savall - Biber: Baroque Splendor (2015)

The 'Missa Salisburgensis à 53 voci' (in comparison, 'Spem in alium' was written by Thomas Tallis for «only» 40 voices) is perhaps the largest-scale piece of extant sacred Baroque music, an archetypical work of the Colossal Baroque. It is a polychoral composition which takes advantage of the multiple organs and various locations available for groups of singers and musicians to perform in Salzburg Cathedral, probably for the 1682 celebrations marking the 1100th anniversary of the founding of the Archbishopric of Salzburg. This stunning recording features Jordi Savall s ensembles at their best and fully reveals the «splendour» of this masterpiece. A recording of cosmic proportions that Jordi Savall has decided to illustrate with a celestial image of the Helix Nebula. Nothing less.


'It ought to sound splendid; it does ... it is stunning in surround, as it ought to be ... deeply satisfying, it s not all about size and volume and Savall makes sure the detail of Biber s complex counterpoint comes through well.' Andrew McGregor BBC Radio 3 CD Review, 29th August 2015 ----------------- 'This is Biber in gargantuan mode ... superbly recorded. Groups ranging from solo voices with a pair of recorders to the full ensemble complete with brass and drums are thrown across the huge spaces of the chapel with palpable excitement and thrilling effect. The reverberation lasts over five seconds, yet every detail in the small scale passages is crystal clear, and the sheer weight of the full forces is shattering. Even in simple stereo, the effect is magnificent, but it s all the better if you enjoy the added aural dimensions of SACD.' --George Pratt BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2015

'an ingenious balancing act between solo voices, choirs and brass, particularly in the ensemble developments of the Gloria and the lengthy Credo, with its shift from angelic high voices to deep, sorrowful ones as the crucifixion weighs heavily.' Andy Gill The Independent, 10th October 2015 ------------- Savall marshals the music with a keen sensibility to momentum, balance and colour ... Savall s more organically natural acoustic makes for an easier overall listen while losing only a little in forthright behaviour ... the Mass is the thing here, and it certainly makes an awesome point. --Lindsay Kemp Gramophone, November 2015

**** The Telegraph best classical music albums of 2015 '[a] superb new recording ... The venue chosen for this recording the Romanesque chapel of Cardona Castle in Catalonia also possesses generous reverberation, but Savall knows how to capitalise on it, allowing the music to bloom and blaze but also to withdraw intimately into itself ... the overall impression of sumptuousness certainly lives up to the CD s Baroque Splendour title' --Geoffrey Norris The Telegraph, October 2015