by Paul Matheson

‘Pro Pacem: Texts, Art & Music For Peace’ by Hesperion XX1, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Montserrat Figueras, Jordi Savall (Viola da Gamba & direction) and Various Artists (Alia Vox AVSA9894)

The great Catalan maestro Jordi Savall is world-famous for a number of things. He is a virtuoso performer of the Renaissance & Baroque viola da gamba. He is a world-class arranger and director of early music, both from Europe and beyond. He is deeply versed in global music traditions, including those far from his native Catalunya. He is famous for arranging, performing and recording music in numerous, thrilling collaborations with guest musicians from around the world. Savall’s Barcelona-based recording label (Alia Vox) is known for its beautifully presented releases of thoughtfully curated CDs and accompanying multilingual booklets that explore the links between early music and particular themes, places or events.

The ‘Pro-Pacem’ CD-Book project

As Savall explains in his introductory essay, the ‘Pro Pacem’ (‘For Peace’) CD-Book is a selection of deeply meditative music and thought-provoking essays that collectively make a plea for a world without war. Both the music and the essays explore the importance of intercultural dialogue as a means to achieve peace.

The 77-minutes CD programme presents a musical mosaic of 23 pieces that spans many centuries and takes the form of a living dialogue of spiritually expressive vocal and instrumental music from a global variety of repertoires and traditions, including Spain, France. Flanders, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Estonia, India, China, Armenia, Israel, Arabia, Turkey, the Levant. The Catalan orchestras, choirs and virtuoso soloists are joined by guest musicians from Armenia, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, India, Japan and Greece.

The ‘Pro Pacem’ project began as a Concert for Peace that was held in Barcelona in 2004, in the shadow of the invasion of Iraq and the terrorist bombing of Madrid’s Atocha train station. The Pro Pacem CD-Book was published in 2012, following the death (in November 2011) of Montserrat Figueras, the great Catalan soprano and early music diva (whose extraordinary voice can be heard on this recording). Figueras was Jordi Savell’s wife. Figueras and Savall shared the firm belief that the principal enemies of mankind – ignorance, hatred and selfishness – can only be overcome by love, knowledge, empathy and understanding. And is that not the ultimate purpose of art and thought?

Paul Matheson is an advisor on equality, human rights and standards in public life.