A batallar estrellas: Cathedral Music from 17th Century Spain

Editor's Choice - Gramophone Magazine February 2005

"Services at Seville Cathedral must have been a blast if this disc is anything to go by. Po-faced piety is conspicuous by its complete absence; saucy false relations and a hyperactive continuo part contribute to the exuberant effect of the title track, by one of the organists at the cathedral, Sebastián Durón."
(Gramophone)

Drawing from the extensive Spanish religious repertoire of the seventeenth century, A batallar estrellas presents a selection of works scored for double chorus featuring the rich sonorities typical of the Iberian baroque. The manuscripts of these pieces (many of which are performed and recorded here for the first time) were found in the archives of various Spanish and Mexican cathedrals. Conductor Eduardo López Banzo studied in Amsterdam with baroque music scholar Gustav Leonhardt. When he returned home to Spain, Banzo was determined not to rehash the music of the German, English and other Baroque traditions. Instead, he chose to focus on the music of the Spanish baroque. With his group Al Ayre Español, Banzo specializes in shedding light on the lesser known but often equally beautiful works by composers from the Iberian peninsula.