Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This collection is unlike anything I have ever received for review. 'Pro Pacem' consists of 23 pieces of music from the Alia Vox catalogue with a repertoire covering many centuries from the Sibylline Oracles (third century BC) through to Gilles Binchois (15th century) and on to a new recording, "Da Pacem Domine", from Arvo Pärt. The cover art was designed by Catalan painter Antoni Tapiès shortly before his death in February 2012 and there are three six-by-four cards with more by the artist included in an insert. The 1000-page hardback book features texts by renowned writers including the French scholar Edgar Morin although, to be accurate, the book is in fact a collection of six essays and statistical appendix in eight different languages. The English version runs to 131 pages so there is a great deal that I am never going to read and, if I am honest, I doubt if I will re-read the English text again; surely this would have been better offered as a CD-ROM, particularly if it got the price down. The music, though, is worth hearing as early music specialist Jordi Savall takes us around the world and across time in his eloquent plea for peace. We hear extracts from the Koran, anonymous Byzantine and Gregorian chants, a Chinese Ave Maria, Jewish music, as well as a good selection from across Europe. In all there is too much to give an adequate review as each piece deserves a full context as well as a detailed critique. Probably the best I can do is suggest you visit the Alia Vox website.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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