Montserrat Figueras, Tina Aagaard, Arianna Savall - Lux Feminae

The Light of Women's Songs

The commentary on this CD opens with the most appropiate acknowledgement. Montserrat declares that "to thank others is to recognise we are not alone". Her statement is in recognition of the many roles every woman must play in life. Those roles are honoured by the grandest voice available to offer paeans for their variety and intensity.

Any attempt to describe Montserrat's vocal abilities can only show the paucity of language. As she takes us through the history of women in song, the spectrum of sublime joy through unfulfilled love to lamentations of forced marriages and forced religious dogmas. The artist conveys us through a heart-tugging array of emotions in more than a dozen steps, each a tribute to women and to Montserrat's soaring voice. Her presentation has the great advantage of seeming to come from a back garden or near-by meadow than from a studio stage. She brings an intimacy to her performances few other vocalists can match.

As with any such collection, setting your player to "Random, Repeat All" will provide endless joy as you listen to each outstanding rendition. Whether in sequence or "shuffled", the quality of her voice and the expertise of the ensemble backing her, delights the listener with the variety and emotion evoked. In some of the tracks, Montserrat is joined by other voices, Tina Aagaard and the Savalls' daughter Arianna. Among the outstanding pieces is yet another version of the canto Sibila, the chants of the Sybils which the team has rendered in several CDs performed in various locations. This one is particularly well performed, as might be done in a small chapel.

No disc by Montserrat and her consort group is ever a poor investment. This one, produced by Savall's speciality firm of Alia Vox, is another of their examples of premium quality. The sound is rich and commanding, and the accompanying notes again bespeaking of Savall's and Figuera's firm dedication to deep and thorough scholarship. The disk demands space of anyone favouring the finest sounds a human voice can produce. As a gift, it will grant you in a special place in the heart of the recipient. It is a passport to the finest listening. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] April 13, 2007

A family project?

This CD is very good. Jordi Savall, as Daniel Morris affirms, has done a formidable work... But... why Montserrat Figueras is in every CD? yes, she knows how to sing this repertoire... But there are GREAT singers who can do much better. We keept buying this material because it is good and important, but, Please, give us other choices! September 11, 2006

EXTRAORDINARY!!

I own nearly 100 titles of Jordi Savall (Montserrat's husband), and continue to purchase new releases on his Alia Vox label. Everything in which the two of them are involved is uniformly excellent, even if a particular disc is not always my cup of tea, but sometimes there are recordings that are absolute standouts, of which this is indeed one. Just skimming through the tracks, I knew this CD was special, and listening to it in its entirety confirms that impression. This is music to be savored, music to be heard when you need refuge, an exceptional programme of lovely pieces for an exceptional voice, medieval to renaissance. Encased in a virtual hardback book of words and art, this CD is beyond even the typical high accolades Savall and Figueras merit. Do NOT miss this one! August 6, 2006

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