Search - Cantigas de Santa Maria Anonymous, Codex Calixtinus Anonymous, Philip Pickett :: The Pilgrimage to Santiago / Bott · New London Consort · Pickett

Philip Pickett and his New London Consort deliver one of the most entertaining performances of early music ever recorded. The album's concept was simple: to collect and perform music associated with the 12th- and 13th-century pilgrimages to the Spanish cathedral known as Santiago de Compostela--St. James in the Field of Stars. Most of the songs tell stories of miracles performed by the Virgin Mary along the pilgrim roads, but the subjects are as varied as the lives and interests of the people involved. Pickett and his cohorts use varying numbers and types of voices and instruments--and in every case they perfectly capture the character and mood, which ranges from raucous, dancelike tunes to more serene, contemplative ballads and prayers. Everywhere is evidence of thoughtful scholarship, and the liner notes sufficiently prepare us for listening. --David Vernier