Cap al Cel

The idea is certainly unusual — going back 100 years to dig out the songs of Catalonia and revive them. These pieces, though, aren't so much folk music as patriotic and religious songs, deliberately composed odes to the region and its culture. Marina Rossell has a voice with classical inflections, but absolutely without the tightness and formality usually associated with classical (or light classical) music. The arrangements on Cap Al Cel are sympathetic, and never grandiose — the nearest to that is the closing "Spiritual (Fragments)," with its build up to the climax, and some magical touches of invention throughout. While there's plenty to enjoy here, both in singing and playing, it's difficult to be convinced by the material itself. While a song like "Sleep, Child" is quite lovely, something like "The Sacred Thorn" is just not especially remarkable parlor music, and it remains that way no matter how it's dressed. That said, kudos to Rossell and her colleagues for unearthing pieces that would otherwise have been forgotten, and throwing a little light on Catalan history in the kind of style one can hope they apply to other music in the future.