Montserrat Torrent

That is because Correa and Torrent are on first-name terms. Although the composer and the organist belong to different periods and contexts, they display a similar artistic character, which is rich and multifaceted. Both have focused themselves on a discurso de música («music discourse»), although three hundred years separate the publication of the Facultad orgánica from the birth of the performer who brought it to life in the twentieth century. These two musicians create from their endless inner lives characterised by changes of mind, hasty conclusions, and justified whims. And it is the perpetual contradiction of their choices -as a result of uncertainty and inner conflict- what allows music to flow out.

The Secret Language of Birds is Ian Anderson's third solo album, but the first to specifically highlight his melodic skill and guitar prowess on a set of folk-inspired songs. His first solo album, 1983's Walk into Light, was marred by its full embrace of sterile '80s production in lieu of rusticity. While his second effort, 1995's Divinities, was a move in the right direction and a sonic precursor to the set at hand, it still was held back by its conscious decision to downplay Anderson's obvious acoustic heritage for a more classical bent. But sometimes the obvious is what works best, and Jethro Tull fans were pleased to learn that Anderson's third release finally embraced his classic sound. Just like Tull's excellent Roots to Branches, this one has a decided ethnic flair, running the gamut from Indian to Russian to Celtic…