The name Francesc Valls will not ring a bell with music lovers. This Catalan composer was a contemporary of Bach and, like him, worked as a bandmaster for various churches. As a Catholic, however, his oeuvre was very different from that of Bach. Nine masses, a handful of motets and a series of secular and instrumental works: he clearly still had one foot in the late Renaissance. At the same time,
… he was wayward enough to cause a real scandal. The occasion was the mass that is central to this CD, the Missa Scala aretina. In a certain passage in Gloria (with the text 'miserere nobis') Valls made such a curious harmonic turn that colleagues became enraged. According to critics, ignoring simple harmonic rules was tantamount to destroying the essence of the music. For modern listeners, this excitement is now difficult to understand. They can only be happy with a beautiful new recording of this special mass. In addition, the mass is supplemented with a series of works that have never been recorded before. Conductor Albert Recasens, who releases a new CD almost every year, once again delivers brilliant performances with a beautiful ensemble. (TC)more
