Erasmus Van Rotterdam: In Praise Of Folly

La Capella Reial de Catalunya & Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall

SACD 1 features highlights of the Praise of the Folly (recited in French) mixed with 22 “Folias”, including 5 new recordings and 17 pieces from“La Folia” and “Altre Folie”. SACD 2 and 3 feature new recordings of music from the times of Erasmus, mixed with texts by Erasmus and Luther (recited in French). SACD 3, 4 and 6 contains themusic of CD 1, 2 and 3 without the spoken texts. Each set contains a unique code to download the spoken texts in Flemish, English, German, Castillan, Catalan and German on the internet.

This new project is a Tribute to Erasmus (1466-1536), a Dutch Renaissance scholar, known as the 'Prince of the Humanists'. Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament and also wrote 'In Praise of Folly', 'Handbook of a Christian Knight' and many other works. Erasmus lived against the backdrop of the growing European religious Reformation; but while he was critical of the abuses within the Church and called for reform, he kept his distance from Luther and Melancthon and continued to recognise the authority of the Pope. His middle of the road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps. Jordi Savall regards him as a model of wisdom and tolerance.

Price: $69.98