Altre Follie 1500-1750

"The excellence of the music on the program is undeniable. Each Follie setting from the anonymous Peruvian composer's rhythmically infectious Folias criollas to the Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi's violently virtuosic La Follia Sonata is more impressive than the last, their totality forming an organic unity in which the whole is far more than the sum of its parts. The beauty of the performances is incontestable. From the elegantly accomplished playing of Manfredo Kraemer through the supple théorbe playing of Rolf Lislevand and the blissful harp playing of Arianna Savall to the masterful viola da gamba playing of Jordi Savall himself, Hespèrion XXI is a group with an affectionate ensemble, an effortless virtuosity, and a warm and embracing humanity. For Savall's fervent fans, the easy intensity of their playing and the profound expressivity of their interpretations coupled with the superbly chosen programs are the qualities that have consistently if improbably enabled Savall to make better records."