Merula: Arie e capricci (SACD)

Figueras still catches you up short with the sheer power and beauty of her performance. She really is a deeply sad loss to the world of early music. In my view this was one of the very best of her many recordings. And I think Merula is far too little known - his considerable body of uniformly excellent work is only now getting the attention it deserves, although with this recording Monserrat and Jordi were years ahead of the pack. Merula's monody is often surprisingly more interesting than that of some of his better-known contemporaries. A bevy of really first-division early music specialists provide high class accompaniment and some excellent instrumental workouts. If you like this, don't miss La Galania's currently-available Pegaso - Merula motets from the 1630s.