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Editorial Reviews

Early music ensemble Hesperion XXI (formerly Hesperion XX) add to their sizable discography with this intriguing recording of mostly Italian music from the 17th century. Devotees of director Jordi Savall and his band will know what to expect: insightful, musically satisfying performances of little-heard repertoire. Battaglie & Lamenti is no exception, but what sets this disc apart is the juxtaposition of starkly different musical styles: instrumental battaglie and vocal laments. Monteverdi's "Lasciate mi morire," the first vocal work on the disc, is quite literally the mother of all laments. Better known as the "Lament of Arianna," it is the only surviving portion of Monteverdi's second opera, Arianna (1608), and the aria's brazenly innovative style for the time set a new operatic standard. Here Montserrat Figueras, Hesperion's longtime soprano soloist, performs Monteverdi's momentous work along with a handful of other laments (some of them recorded for the first time) by a few of the composer's followers: Jacopo Peri, Nicolo Fontei, and Barbara Strozzi. The instrumental battaglie -- by Samuel Schiedt, Gioseffo Guami, and Andrea Falconiero -- provide a sharp contrast to these plaintive, anguished vocal works. The battaglia, a form that originated in the 16th century, aimed to reflect dramatically the chaos and clamor of battle through the use of vivid musical devices -- driving rhythms, repeated notes, and trumpet fanfares. Other instrumental pieces (a pavan and a few canzonas) are also included, filling out this album of attractive, well-recorded performances -- yet another success by Savall and company. EJ Johnson, Barnes & Noble

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