Voici quelques extraits des plus significatifs de
l'article de Roger Tellart.
"Une fois encore, Jordi Savall et ses proches oeuvrent en jardiniers
fortunés dans le riche enclos de la variation musicale, au plus près
de leurs racines."
"En dépit de quelques problèmes de justesse çà et là, c'est un
collectif inspiré qui marque de sa griffe cette vision tonifiante et
décapante."
Pour Tellart, "... c'est d'abord l'acte de mémoire qui rayonne dans
la réinterprétation d'Hespèrion XXI."
Once again
Savall and his
friends are at work as fortunate gardeners within the rich
repertoire of instrumental variations, very close to their roots.”
In spite of a few problems of adjustment here and there, it is a
very inspired ensemble which brands this very incisive and
invigoratinf vision.”
For Tellart, “… it is
above all an act of remembrance which prevails in this
reinterpretation by Hespèrion XXI.”
Le Monde de la Musique
# 261 (01/2003)
Chroniqueur: Pablo Gallonce
Résumé ou abrégé:
"Si la virtuosité de Jordi Savall fait
l'unanimité, la pertinence de ses programmes est moins perceptible."
"... la cohéence de ce disque est moins évidente dans son parcours
chronologique que dans son interprétation. Savall tire tous les
morceaux vers la danse, se faisant aller à des exploits rythmiques
que bien des musiciens de jazz pourraient lui envier. Avec ses
acolytes (dont les extraordinaires Manfredo Kraemer et Pablo Valetti
aux violons dans le ground de Purcelle), il démontre encore
une fois qu'il reste le prince des violistes par la mobilité de son
archet et sa palette de couleurs. Et s'il s'octroie quelques moments
de méditation ... c'est pour mieux repartir."
Reviewer:
Pablo Gallonce
Abridged version : (free translation by Classic@la
Carte
"If Jordi Savall's virtuopsity is unanimously recognized, his choice
of programs is less perceptible."
"All the pieces are performed in a dance-like manner and Savall
accomplishes rythmic feasts which many jazz musicians could consider
with envy. With his musician friends ( among whom the extraordinary
Manfredo Kraemet and Pablo Valetti playing the violin in the
ground of Purcell), he proves again that he still is the prince
among viola de gamba players... And il he allows himself a few moments
of meditation... it is only to start off again."
Savall continue à se faire plaisir et à nous
faire plaisir. Au sein de ce qui aurait pu être un énième récital
d'inspiration italo-espagnole, l'artiste réunit quelques têtes
pensantes du répertoire instrumental baroque pour illustrer le thème
de l'Ostinato: sur une basse rythmique simple qui se répète,
les dessus instrumentaux élaborent des variations subtiles et
virtuoses; sorte de longues lignes mélodiques qui frôlent
l'improvisation. On mesurera, dès la Gallarda Napolitana de
Valente introductive, la frontière bien mince qui sépare ce
répertoire de la musique traditionnelle actuelle. Cette réunion de
comparses ou d'amis musiciens prend tout son sens tant dans les
pièces spirituelles d'Ortiz et de Falconiero que dans celles, plus
libres, d'anonymes ou de ... Savall (Improvisations sur des
Canarios déjà entendues chez le musicien). Une joie
communicative s'en dégage, affublée d'une incroyable facilité
d'écoute. C'est qu'aucune faille technique n'est visible. Tantôt
badins, tantôt sérieux et spirituels, Savall et ses collègues
transfigurent les deux pièces de Purcell et parviennent au sublime
dans le Three Parts upon a Ground avant de nous rappeler
toute la beauté du célèbre Kanon de Pachelbel, tant défiguré
au cours des siècles. Le disque s'achève sur les variations du non
moins célèbre Greensleeves to a Ground, sorte d'échos
lointain (sic ) des traditions ancestrales de la variation libre sur
une basse obstinée. La "Arpa doppia" d'Arianne Savall, digne
fille de son chef de père, nous entraîne sur les landes sauvages de
l'Europe du Nord. Un disque rafraîchissant et et essentiel.
"Savall continues to please himself and by
the same token, to please us. He has gathered, for what might have
been considred just another mere recital of Italian and Spanish
music, a few major composers of the intrumental Baroque period to
illustrate the theme of the "Ostinato"...
"In the Gallarda Napolitana by Valente, we can perceive
the very thin borderline that separates this repertory from present
day traditional music. This gathering of companions or of musician
friends is fully revealed in the spirited pieces of Ortiz and
Falconiero, as well as in those freer in style by anonymous composer,
or even ... in the improvisations on canarios by Savall... A
joyful spirit emanates from these pieces, so pleasant to listen to.
There seems to be no technical flaws. At times joyful, at times
serious and spirited, Savall and his collegues transform the two
pieces of Purcell and provide us with a sublime interpretation of
his Three parts upon a Ground before reminding us of the beauty
of the famous Pachelbel Canon. The disc ends on the no less
famous Greensleeves to a Ground, which serves as a reminder of
ancient traditions based on a free variation on the ostinato bass.
Arianna Savall and her "Arpa dopia" takes us into the wild
countryside of Northern Europe. A refreshing and essential recording."
"The use of ostinato bass patterns as a
foundation for building compositions has a long and varied history.
Many have their origin in Renaissance dances, from which they took
such names as passamezzo antico, romanesca, folia, passamezzo
moderno, and ruggiero. Later, since ostinatos were
obviously suited to a style rooted in fundamentall bass harmonie, the
principle became endemic among 17th century Baroque composers, who
expanded the variety of bass to include such as the
ciacona and passacaglia in addition to inventing their
own grounds...."
(This disc) ,,, "takes a roughly chronoligcal course. Starting
with Valente's flamboyant Gallarda Napolitana, played with as
much colorful verve today as Hespèrion XX brought to the piece nearly
20 years ago on Music
of the Renaissance in Naples(EMI), it works its way through
later Renaissance pieces and the early Baroque virtuosity of such as
Marini to that Canon and Gigue by Pachelbel. Incidentally, the
old warhorse is given a brisk nonsense performance that would make it
unrecognizable to the millions who have swooned to Karajan's silver
strings. The rather harsh tone of the three violinists is also at the
opposite end of the spectrum, a distinct draw back in the two works by
Purcell, perhaps the greatest master of ground bass technique. The
most satisfying tracks are in fact those in which Savall can allow his
ever-fertile imagination free rein to devise divisions or extemporize,
the highlight being an eight-minute improvisation on the canarios,
a Spanish dance also used as a bass pattern. This is delightful stuff,
with Savall and harpist daughter Arianna combining to tease out a
series of catchy variations cleverly worked to create a continuous ebb
and flow of gentle tension."
"... Savall's many fans in particular will be pleased to hear the
great gambist in such formidable form."
"This anthology is
based on many of the set harmonic patterns (ostinatos) that so
fascinated composers during the renaissance and baroque. These
patterns were most often used for elaborate sets of variations, often
meant to display the virtuosity of both the composer's inventiveness
in creating variety from the unchanging patterns and the performers
who were expected to perform or improvise the ever more complex
variations. The present collection was assembled by the director of
Hepèrion XXI, Jordi Savall, both to exhibit the variety of patterns
and composers and to show his own virtuosity on the soprano and bass
viola da gamba."
"The program also includes three os Savall's own arrangements."
"Overall, this is an interesting selection of pieces, many of them
rarely performed with the finesse shown by Savall and the musicians of
Hespèrion XXI. Anyone who wants to hear the closest equivalent I can
think of to baroque jazz should listen to this recording and learn."
Date de création de cette
fiche: 4 avril 2006
Dernière mise à jour de cette fiche:
05-Apr-2011
This page was first
published on:
April 4, 2006
This page was updated on:
04/05/11
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