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Reviews: Du temps & de l'instant - Jordi Savall

Reviews: 3

Review by Julien November 6, 2006 (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
I love this SACD!

These musics, mostly from different Middle East and Latin countries, are absolutely fantastic. Some will move you very deeply into your peaceful soul.

I think there is no need to write much about Mr Savall and his "family" (two are real family, Adrianna and Ferran Savall are very sensitive musicians). We know how excellent every single release he makes is, it is sometimes just about liking the musics or not. I remember having a few years ago a magnificent Purcell viola da gamba CD by him, and this one is my other favorite. Every single piece transports my mind into an imaginary world, and apart from the beauty of these pieces, this is mostly possible because of the fabulous interpretation the players are giving us. Musicians around Mr Savall always seem to be the kind that have a deep understanding of the music and let it express itself. You can listen to the whole disc without noticing details in the interpretation, it is just music speaking to you. But if you start to pay attention to all those beautiful details, only more admiration will strike you.

Mr Savall is simply one of the musicians I respect the most, and I always want to thank him for the love he brings to us. He must be a very happy man.

The recording may be just a bit too close-miked for me sometimes, especially for the voices, thus the 4 and half stars. But the sound flows very naturally all through the performance, the soundstage is deep and wide, the placement very clear, and overall this recording brings out the room acoustics beautifully.

I am listening to it right now, and have tears in my eyes. No more words.

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Review by skkim November 16, 2006 (5 of 5 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
Before I purchased this SACD, I searched on the internet for a review. The only one I found commented this disk as a sonic tour de force. On the first listening, about 2:15 into the first track (among the most beautiful pieces on the disk), I heard people moving a drum(?) in the background, followed by faint murmuring captured by microphones. The disturbance lasted on and off for about one minute. The murmuring recurred on track 16 (0:34). These anomalies are curious, as this does not appear to be a live recording. Unfortunately, the resolution of my stereo system worked against the somewhat flawed recording or mixing.

I must say that I still enjoy the music very much. It just gets a bit annoying whenever these tracks are played. I actually took the disk intentionally as one of my demonstrations in recent trips of speaker search. Some systems at the stores equally revealed the flaws and yet some pricey ones failed to resolve the fine nuance. Further, the mixing engineer likely elevated the mid-range presence region. Though with fine sound staging and clarity, this disk is brighter than all other Alia Vox SACD's I have. It is less natural than the wonderfully recorded Isabel I, Reina de Castilla. Perhaps pushing the envelope of transparency does not work favorably for a small ensemble (five) at a smaller venue.

Musically, Mr. Savall compiled a very enjoyable, with some contemporary flair, collection of music to showcase the talents of his family members. The percussion, somewhat impromptu in nature, adds a lot to the tuneful character of the overall program. The mostly harp solo on track 12 demonstrates the rich harmonics of resonating chords and room ambience. Masterful instrumental playing and lovely singing alternate to create a well conceived melodic journey. Even with the caveats potentially for some listeners, I will not hesitate to recommend this disk as a worthwhile collection. I savor the emotions embedded in the music track after track. Technical glitches do not quite take away from the beauty of the music.

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Review by hawk February 12, 2007 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
Even if you don't care for classical music that much, this is a good album to have
if you are looking for something that has a Loreena McKennit/new age flavour with an
international twist. The sounds and melodies are from a selection of different
countries and the music is sublime and heavenly...otherwordly (if there is such
a word)and yet familiar at the same time. Just a note: the traditional piece
attributed to Greece-I think track 8- is also a traditional Turkish piece. Which
goes to show how cultures and music blend into each other. I didn't notice the
flaws in the recording that one of the reviewers comments on, but then again
it is probably because my speakers are not sensitive enough.

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