Francesc Valls, "Con afecto". Works from the collection "Mapa armónico práctico" , 1742.

Premiere album, released on November 7^th

The BachWerkVocal Ensemble, conducted by Gordon Safari: Francesc Valls, "Con afecto". Works from the collection "Mapa armónico práctico", 1742. Premiere album, released on November 7^th, included in the project "Records of the Year 2026".

In a world premiere, the "Bachwerkvokal" Ensemble from Salzburg, led by Gordon Safari, offers lovers of Baroque music works drawn from the treatise "Mapa armónico práctico", compiled by the Catalan composer Francesc Valls. Completed in 1735, the treatise contains 34 chapters dedicated to contrapuntal techniques, modal theory, the structure of a composition, as well as musical examples from different genres and styles, both in Latin and Spanish, along with other skills necessary for a maestro de capilla. It's a fascinating document reflecting the mindset and musical scholarship of 18th century Spain, as well as the profile of a composer contemporary with Johann Sebastian Bach, a valuable master, with a style rooted in the astonishing Spanish tradition (we should not forget the virtues of the Golden Age during the height of the Renaissance), yet equally familiar with the styles of the Italian, French, and German schools of the Baroque era.

The scope of Francesc Valls's music is striking, with works conceived for a choral ensemble with instrumental accompaniment and solo voices, monumental music with an emotional impact extremely well conveyed by the "Bachwerkvokal" Ensemble from Salzburg. It is no coincidence that the title of the album released under the MDG Gold label on November 7^th, 2024, is "Con afecto". We find numerous elements in these miniature works from the influence of the Italian concerto or opera, to the inclusion of the harp in the basso continuo (specific to Catalan music), generating a more delicate timbre, as well as double choir, solo voices, and a basso continuo that adapts to the musical profile, "a language with multiple sonic layers," according to conductor Gordon Safari, who declares his fascination with this old master, whom he imagines conversing endlessly with Johann Sebastian Bach.

The "Bachwerkvokal" Ensemble, founded in 2015, initially took the music of Bach as its point of reference, as its name suggests, later looking toward other directions as well. It is an international formation bringing together singers and instrumentalists, each assuming both the role of soloist and that of ensemble member, choral or instrumental, as was customary in the Baroque period. From this derives the particular character of the ensemble, its entirely distinctive sound, marked by great transparency, homogeneity, and brilliance. The sound is beautiful in itself, carrying cathedral-like reverberations. One may add a form of expression that embraces both dramatic and euphoric character, depending on the musical profile, offering the listener an image of great clarity and breadth of Francesc Valls's creation, a name we will remember with a mark of excellence in the gallery of European Baroque composers.