Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)

Subject: Obit: Montserrat Figueras
From: Jack Campin
Date: 25 Nov 11 - 09:47 AM

One heck of a singer....

obituary in Lebrecht's blog

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 25 Nov 11 - 09:54 AM

I'm speechless. My God. She's been my favourite singer for most of my life...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP_6Y7skqCY

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Nov 11 - 10:14 AM

link to a performance from the obituary. Beautiful voice!

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 25 Nov 11 - 10:21 AM

Obit from Limelight:

http://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/Article/281232,montserrat-figueras-has-died.aspx

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 25 Nov 11 - 10:33 AM

Announcement from Alia Vox (recording company of Montserrat Figueras & her husband & musical partner, Jordi Savall - perhaps the key label of 'Early Music' in recent decades):

http://www.alia-vox.com/index_Montse2.php

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Nov 11 - 01:40 PM

I have most of her recordings. A shock, at 69 she was still in her prime.

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras
From: JennieG
Date: 25 Nov 11 - 04:31 PM

A wonderful voice stilled too soon.....I have several Hysperion XX recordings, and have enjoyed her singing for a long while.

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras
From: GUEST,John Foxen
Date: 26 Nov 11 - 01:09 PM

Shockingly sad. Her recording of No Piense Menguilla Ya would be one of my Desert Island Discs.

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 26 Nov 11 - 07:08 PM

No Piense Menguilla Ya

I have fond memories of them doing it in York Minster a few years back during the Early Music Festival. Missed the Radio 3 broadcast though. Anyone?? Likewise the Glasgow gig in May 1999 - which went out live so I couldn't record it as I was there... As I recall on that occasion they opened with Juan del Ezina's Una Sanosa Porfida. Here they are doing it live, with Montserrat at her most sublime:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lLg0F_diA0&feature=related

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)
From: GUEST,White,Michael
Date: 30 Nov 11 - 08:45 PM

I hoped to one day see her perform even if I had to travel from Australia to do so.Deep sympathy to that lovely family who have given so much to the world.

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 01 Dec 11 - 04:35 AM

Looking forward muchly to this for my ideal Xmas listening:

MARE NOSTRUM

Been listening back to the early recordings, even the first Hesperion XX album, back 1976, which in typical style juxtaposed music of Jewish and Christian Spain. I've still got an album of Cantigas de Santa Maria on Deutsch Harmonia Mundi on which Montserrat sings with Thomas Binkley's Studio der Frühen Musik, featuring the late Jason Paras, one of the promising violists & fiddlers of his generation, who died tragically young shortly after. Of those early recordings the Llibre Vermell stands out (still available last time I looked in HMV!) and the Troubairitz album, which features her sister Pilar, another of my life-long musical loves.

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Dec 11 - 04:36 PM

The site MARE NOSTRUM requires enabling a cookie. Whose site is it? I presume that it is safe.

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Dec 11 - 05:31 PM

Alia Vox issued the very attractive "Lux Feminae" album, songs from 900-1600 sung by Monserrat Figueras, with both history and lyrics in the original language and translations. Lovely illustrations as well.
Worth adding to your listening.

Expanding on Suibhne Astray's post, Virgin Classics reissued 8 discs of Hesperion XX under the title "España antigua," but the original booklets with lyrics are not included. Albums reproduced in this edition are the Trobairitz songs, Llibre vermeil (translations available elsewhere), Sephardic romances, coutr music fropm the age of discovery, Renaissance Neapolitan music, El barroco español, 16th century songs and dances, and instrumental music by Cabezon. I believe this reissue is still available.

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 01 Dec 11 - 07:20 PM

I think it was an MDT link; it's not up at the Alia Vox site yet though it's released on the 5th of this month...

Lux Feminae was the first Alia Vox hardback edition, although in the square format. After that they pushed the envelope somewhat with the lavish 2-disk Don Quixote hard-back book - an early album of that material features as part of the Espana Antiqua set; as ever it's interesting to contrast & compare the developments & continuities that thread though the Savall / Figueras canon like veins of pure gold. The recent Borgias set was amazing (+DVD) though my favourite of these remains the astonishing Royaume Oublie, a concert of which is on YouTube in several parts:

I. Jordi Savall: Le Royayme Oublié, La Tragédie Cathare / Hespèrion XXI - features Montserrat Figueras singing with her psalterion. Sublime...

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 02 Dec 11 - 03:50 AM

PS: Alia Vox - currently streaming Montserrat singing La Comtessa de Dia's A chantar m'er de so qu'ieu non volria (1175?? - from Le Royaume Oublie) on the main page.

Subject: RE: Obit: Montserrat Figueras (1942-2011)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 19 Feb 13 - 01:45 PM

This is very moving:

Memorial concert, 7 Dec 2011

Ottoman Turkish, Sephardic and Armenian music, with a recording of Figueras herself as an epilogue.