For listeners unconverted by the art of
Jordi Savall, the enthusiasm with which his fervent fans have greeted his successive recordings has always seemed, to say the least, uncritical. After all, it seemed highly implausible that
Savall's records could have steadily gotten better through his long career. How could his late-'70s recordings of
Marin Marais' bass viole music have been bettered by his 1988 recording of
Monteverdi's Vespers, then bettered again by his 1992 recording of
Mozart's Requiem, then bettered again by his 1998 recording La Voix Humaines? And, the unconverted asked, how could
Savall have again made a better record in this 2005 recording called Altre Follie with his chamber ensemble
Hespèrion XXI featuring violinist
Manfredo Kraemer?