Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI - Invocation a la Nuit - Musica Notturna (2008)

Jordi Savall’s label has been issuing compilations of his recordings in attractive packages, this one especially marking the 10 years since the label was founded. (Some of the discs have been reissued from Astrée.) The latest one draws on the last 15 years of recording to make a program of two well-filled discs of “Musica notturna,” offered at about a two-for-one price. One is called “Songs of the Night,” the other “Music of the Night”—vocal and instrumental respectively. No less than 18 previous issues are excerpted, not counting three unreleased tracks. The lavish 132-page booklet includes pictures of all the Alia Vox releases, but most of its space is devoted to essays by three writers printed in six languages, as well as texts and five translations. Savall’s wife, Montserrat Figueras, is a highlight of the program, since her affecting singing is heard on so many of Savall’s recordings.
By focusing on a theme such as this set does, the compiler has been able to draw together music of a variety of composers sharing a similar mood. You are likely to hear something new by the juxtaposition, even if you have a few of the original discs. This strikes me as a more constructive compilation than the miscellanies that are so often drawn from previously issued material. It’s a truly attractive package both to see and to hear. Perhaps it will serve best as a gift.