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Written in fRoots issue 338/339, 2011


MARINA ROSSELL
Inicis 1977-1990
World Village WV 498041.47 (2010)

The DVD of Catalan diva Rossell’s 2008 Barcelona concert was reviewed in fR 329/330. Here’s a boxed set of her first seven albums, in card slip-cases with a booklet containing all the lyrics and her own observations on each album; the latter are translated into English, but the lyrics just into Castilian Spanish.
     Throughout her long career, from her first album at age 21, arranged by Lluis Llach, she has drawn on the range of Catalan song from the popular folk songs of her childhood through settings of the poems and songs of others to her own compositions, at times articulating contemporary social and political concerns in her country but musically and poetically, allusive rather than haranguing.
     The sophisticated arrangements are generally big productions, drawing on the full resources including string orchestras and sometimes traditional instruments, but always to the fore are the lyrics and her voice, commanding and soaring with great passion and also fine subtlety; no brassy showbiz divadom, what Marina Rossell cherishes and conveys are the songs.

www.worldvillagemusic.com

© 2011 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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