When musicians of our generation seek to provide musical depictions of the pilgrimages to St James of Compostela, they turn most frequently to the Middle Ages. The La Fenice ensemble, however, has chosen a different approach by taking a map of the Camino Francès (1648) as its inspiration. Here they bring formal as well as popular repertoire of the time back to life with songs both sacred and secular, combining these with the joyfully festive music that accompanied the travellers from France to Galicia via Languedoc, Aragon and Castile.

This recording mirrors our concerts based on the French and Spanish music of the Way of St James, although with an occasional detour to China and Latin America; we have preferred to give a free and imaginative idea of the types of music that would have been heard on the Way in those times, rather than a true musicological reconstruction.

Our dearest wish is to communicate, outside the normal concert situation, the emotions and the pleasure that we experienced in playing, reciting and singing these works; our ambition is that all may come to share the beauty and the harmony that form every musician’s reason for living.

Contents:
For the feast-day of St James, apostle
1. Procedens Jesus, vidit Jacobum (Chant grégorien)
2. O beate Dei athleta Jacobe (Urbani Loth)
Following the Rhône...
3. Justes, chacun se présente (G. Chastillon de La Tour)
4. Chantez au Seigneur (G. Chastillon de La Tour)
5. Ce qui me plait loin du trouble des cités. (G Chastillon de La Tour)
At the crossroads...
6. Bienheureuse est une âme (Anonyme)
7. Fantaisie à 3 sur Une jeune fillette (Eustache Du Caurroy)
8. Di Jacopo si canti! (Matteo Coferati)
In Languedoc and Gascony...
9. N’espérez plus mes yeux, (Étienne Moulinié)
10. Cancion real francesa in écho (Anonyme)
11. De cor, de boux celebrats, cantats toutis! (Anonyme)
12. De cor, de boux celebrats, cantats toutis!( Anonyme)
In Aragon and Castile...
13. Gaïta spañola (sobre la Girometa) (Anonyme)
14. Canzon per canto e basso (B. de Selma y Salaverde)
15. Jacara (baïla de Jaca) (Bertolomeu de Olague)
16. Folias (Andrea Falconiero)
In the church of Leon...
17. Repicavan las campanillas (Étienne Moulinié)
Repicavan, gefigureert door (Jan Jacob van Eyck)
18. Canten dos Jilguerillos (Francisco Escalada)
In Galicia...
19. El baxel esta en la playa (Gabriel Bataille)
20. Gaïta francesa (Anonyme)
21. Vuelve barquilla (Anonyme)
En el portal de Santiago!
22. Cancion "La benedetta" (Andrea Falconiero)
23. Vilancico de nacions (Francisco Soler)