Jordi Savall, Hespèrion XXI - Jeanne d'Arc - Batailles & Prisons (2012)

Most of the recordings of the great Catalonian viol player and group leader Jordi Savall delve into the cultural context of early music traditions. Among them is a special group referred to here as CD-books, which combine a CD (or in this case two) with a lavishly illustrated hardbound book containing essays and relevant artwork in addition to texts and the usual listings of personnel. Kudos to Savall's grant-writers for continuing to get these things funded during Spain's fiscal crisis, and this release, Jeanne d'Arc: Batailles & Prisons (Joan of Arc: Battles and Prisons) outdoes even other similar Savall releases. With the booklet weighing in at 504 pages, awesome even if it does include text in six languages, and essays covering such topics as Joan of Arc's relevance to the modern French right wing, this is not only a musical program but a survey of the entire Joan of Arc phenomenon, and one with sufficient depth to meet most people's needs. The two actual CDs also go beyond what has been included on other Savall releases, combining several kinds of material. There is spoken-word text, both narrative and dramatic, outlining the life of Joan the Maid, to use the contemporary English term. The music itself is of different kinds, all of it impeccably performed by Savall, his vocal group La Capella Reial de Catalunya, his instrumental group Hespérion XXI, and a small group of soloists that includes the late Montserrat Figueras; this must have been one of the last few albums she made. Savall includes these kinds of pieces: popular melodies reflecting Joan's peasant origins; the Dufay motet Veni sancte spiritus (sung by three voices, symbolizing the Trinity); the ubiquitous L'homme armé tune, evoking Joan's warrior status, military and royal fanfares, and other occasional instrumental pieces. Some of the music is by Savall himself, drawn from his score for a 1993 French film about Joan of Arc. As often happens, Savall accomplishes something slightly different from what he set out to do. The dramatic presentation has its moments, such as when French and British troops clash with their bands playing in slightly different tunings. But in general the words are less interesting than the music, which, like so much of what this musician does, gives a feeling for the resonances of Renaissance music in the lives of its original hearers like no other performances can do. This is one of Savall's most ambitious releases, and one of his very best.