Jordi Savall | |
|---|---|
 Savall in 2014, when he received the Gold Medal of the Generalitat de Catalunya | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jordi Savall i Bernadet |
| Born | (1941-08-01)1 August 1941 (age 83) Igualada,Barcelona, Spain |
| Genres | Classical, westernearly music |
| Occupation(s) | Conductor,gambist,composer |
| Instrument(s) | Viola da gamba,viola da braccio |
| Labels | EMI Classics,Astrée, Alia Vox |
| Spouse(s) | Montserrat Figueras (1968–2011) Maria Bartels (2017–present) |
| Website | www |
Jordi Savall i Bernadet (Catalan:[ˈʒɔɾðisəˈβaʎiβəɾnəˈðɛt]; born 1 August 1941) is a Spanishconductor,composer andviol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Westernearly music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of instruments (notably the viola da gamba) in contemporary performance and recording. As a historian of early music his repertoire features everything frommedieval,Renaissance andBaroque through to theClassical andRomantic periods. He has incorporated non-western musical traditions in his work; including African vernacular music for a documentary on slavery.
His musical training started at age six in the school choir of his nativeIgualada (1947–55). After graduating from theBarcelona'sConservatory of Music (where he studied from 1959 to 1965) he specialized in early music, collaborating withArs Musicae de Barcelona under Enric Gispert, studying withAugust Wenzinger at theSchola Cantorum Basiliensis inBasel,Switzerland (1968–70) and eventually succeeding Wenzinger in 1974 as professor of viola da gamba at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
In 1974 he formed the ensembleHespèrion XX (known since 2000 asHespèrion XXI), together with his wife sopranoMontserrat Figueras, Lorenzo Alpert andHopkinson Smith. Hespèrion XX favored a style of interpretation characterized simultaneously by great musical vitality and maximum historical accuracy.
In 1987 he returned to Barcelona to foundLa Capella Reial de Catalunya, a vocal ensemble devoted to pre-eighteenth-century music. In 1989 he foundedLe Concert des Nations, an orchestra generally emphasizing Baroque period, but sometimes also Classical and even Romantic music such as, for example,Sinfonía [por] Grande Orquesta byJuan Crisóstomo Arriaga) (1806–1826).
More recently Savall has performed with family members. The family ensemble has included his wife Montserrat Figueras (who died in 2011) and their two children,Arianna and Ferran. Arianna plays the harp and sings, like her mother; Ferran plays thetheorbo (bass lute) and sings, not only with his family, but also in Barcelona jazz clubs.[1]
In several of his recordings and concerts, Savall and his ensembles have incorporated non-western musical traditions, including African vernacular music played by musicians of theensemble 3MA (Driss el Maloumi,Ballake Sissoko,Rajery) inLes Routes de l’Esclavage orTheRoutes of Slavery (2017).[2] In their performances and albums titledOrient-Occident, Savall and musicians from the Middle East have presented traditionalArabic,Christian andSephardic music, originating from medievalAl-Andalus, Syria, Morocco and Turkey.[3][4]
Additionally, Savall has created music festivals, such as theFestival musique et histoire in theFontfroide Abbey in southern France[5] and the Jordi Savall Festival, set in historic monasteries ofCatalonia.[6]
Savall was married toMontserrat Figueras from 1968 to her death in 2011. They had a daughter,Arianna Savall, and a son, Ferran Savall.[7] On 23 June 2017, Savall married the Dutch philosopher Maria Bartels, inCardona.[8][9]
Savall's discography includes more than 200 recordings.[10] Originally recording withEMI Classics, and then from 1975 onMichel Bernstein's Astrée label, since 1998 he has recorded on his own label, Alia Vox.[11]
Full discography as published on Alia Vox website:[16]
Savall adapted and performed music for the 1991 Alain Corneau filmTous les matins du monde about composersSainte-Colombe andMarin Marais. His work on this film earned him aCésar award from the French film industry in 1992. The soundtrack has sold more than a million copies worldwide.
He has composed music for the following films:
Media related toJordi Savall at Wikimedia Commons
