CD Spotlight: Ninna Nanna - Lullabies c.1500-2002

Sunday, March 02, 2003

Tune in to Evening Music on Sunday, March 2 (7-9pm), as host Margaret Juntwait presents selections from Ninna Nanna, a gorgeous and often astonishing compilation of lullabies composed between 1500 and 2002. The disc on the Spanish label Alia Vox showcases the talents of Montserrat Figueras, the Barcelona-born soprano who fuses classical singing with more folk-based improvisatory styles of ancient Mediterranean cultures. She is best known for her work with the superb period-instrument ensemble Hesperion XXI, which accompanies her on several tracks.

The disc's 18 selections span a wide range of cultures and languages, from anonymous lullabies from the Mediterranean (Berber, Jewish, Portuguese, etc.) to English Renaissance composer William Byrd more recent pieces by Mussorgsky, Reger, De Falla, Milhaud and Lorca. The texts are sometimes religious, sometimes secular, and sometimes no more than nonsense syllables, as in the case of a lullaby by Arvo Pärt (a duet sung with her daughter, Arianna Savall). The CD is filled with lovely playing by this early music ensemble (incorporating classical guitar and piano with the violes and other baroque and medieval instruments). But the real marvel is the dark, rich, haunting voice of Figueras, who gives new meaning to this once commonplace genre.

Figueras and Hespèrion XXI arrive at the Society for Ethical Culture in New York on April 8, on a North American tour.