**** Montserrat Figueras

THE VOICE OF EMOTION

(Fontalis/Auvidis/Harmonia Mundi)

"Early music" is sounding more vital and contemporary than most "modern rock" these days, thanks in part to the remarkable Spanish musicians Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras. The Voice of Emotion is a compilation documenting their work over the last 20 years in medieval and Renaissance music, and it represents a profound reinterpretation of the genre, one that moves it away from the traditional classical repertoire and closer to folk or world music (where this largely unscored music probably belongs). Utilizing dance rhythms, improvisational embellishments, and intimate orchestrations of period instruments, these performances of songs from the 12th to 16th centuries are a visceral pleasure all too rarely associated with the music performed in churches and recital halls. Then too, Montserrat Figueras possesses one of the most extraordinary voices in music today -- its purity, and the elegance of her delivery, can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

-- Damon Krukowski