HOMENATGE AL MISTERI D’ELX
Drama sagrat per la Festa de l’Assumció de la Verge

Ref: AV9836

• La Capella Reial de Catalunya
• Jordi Savall

A people’s spiritual identity, expressed through its love and veneration for the Virgin Mary, together with the mystery of the Virgin’s death and assumption, are the main inspiration for the wonderful Mystery Play of Elche. Like the ancient Song of the Sibyl, so deeply rooted in Catalonia, Valencia and, in particular, Majorca, this sacred musical drama is a rare and extraordinary example of an outstandingly beautiful musical treasure kept alive over the centuries by the determination, tradition and fervour of an entire people. It is a prime example of the “crucial axis” so aptly described by Jean-Marie Domenach in his Europe: le défi culturel: “The true importance of culture lies less in the richness of a particular cultural heritage than in the way that value is attached to it, and underpinning that value there is a project, which in turn is underpinned by a will… And here we come to the crucial axis: that will, which is capable of keeping a culture alive, must stem from within the culture itself, from its traditions and values”. In the case of Elche, we have a rich heritage matched by a people who have demonstrated their ability to recognise its value through a collective Project and a common Will to keep it alive from generation to generation. Thanks to their efforts, and grounded in its own intrinsic values and tradition, an original culture has been preserved and continues to develop in our own times.

+ information in the CD booklet

JORDI SAVALL
Vienna, 26th March 2004