Jordi Savall
Encyclopedia
Jordi Savall i Bernadet (ˈʒɔrði səˈβaʎ) (born 1941, in Igualada
, Catalonia
, Spain
) is a Catalan
viol
player, conductor
and composer
. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music
since the 1970s, largely responsible for bringing the viol (viola da gamba) back to life on the stage. His characteristic repertory ranges from Medieval
to Renaissance
and Baroque
music, though he has occasionally ventured into the classical or even the romantic period.
Conservatory of Music (1959–65), he specialised in early music, collaborating with Ars Musicae Barcelona of Enric Gispert and studying under August Wenzinger
at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
in Basel
, Switzerland
(1968–70). In 1974 he succeeded Wenzinger as professor of viola da gamba at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
), together with the soprano Montserrat Figueras
(his wife), Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith
. Hespèrion XX favoured a style of interpretation characterised by great musical vitality and, at the same time, ultimate historical accuracy.
In 1987 he returned to Barcelona to found La Capella Reial de Catalunya
, a vocal ensemble devoted to music from before the 18th century.
In 1989 Savall created Le Concert des Nations
, an orchestra which is generally dedicated to music from the baroque period, but sometimes also performs music from the classical or romantic repertoire (e.g. Sinfonía Grande Orquesta by Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga).
More recently, Savall has performed with his family. The Savall family ensemble includes Jordi Savall's wife, Montserrat Figueras, and their two children, Arianna and Ferran. Arianna Savall
plays the harp and sings, like her mother. Ferran Savall plays the theorbo
(bass lute) and sings (not only with his family but also in jazz clubs in Barcelona).
, and then from 1975 with the Astrée label of Michel Bernstein
, since 1998 he has released his records under his own label, Alia Vox.
He was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa degree by the University of Barcelona
on 27 November 2006.
He was twice nominated for a Grammy.
In 2008 Savall was appointed a European Union
ambassador for intercultural dialogue. In June 2008 he and his wife, Montserrat Figueras, were named "Artists for Peace" by UNESCO
.
In February, 2009 he received the Handel Music Prize
from the city of Halle, Germany
, and the National Music Prize from the National Council of Music and Arts of Catalonia
. In 2010, he was given the Praetorius Musikpreis Niedersachsen and a MIDEM Classical Award, for his album "Jerusalem –La ville des deux Paix: La paix céleste et la paix terrestre."
In 2012 Savall was awarded the Léonie Sonning Music Prize
.
. His work on this film earned him a César
award from the French film industry in 1992. The soundtrack has sold more than a million copies worldwide.
As a composer, Jordi Savall has written music for the following films:
Igualada
Igualada is a municipality of the province of Barcelona in Catalonia . It is located on the left bank of the Anoia river, and at the western end of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona railway. Igualada is the capital and central market of the Anoia comarca, a rich agricultural and wine-producing...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) is a Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
viol
Viol
The viol is any one of a family of bowed, fretted and stringed musical instruments developed in the mid-late 15th century and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Renaissance vihuela, a plucked instrument that preceded the...
player, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
since the 1970s, largely responsible for bringing the viol (viola da gamba) back to life on the stage. His characteristic repertory ranges from Medieval
Medieval music
Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the early fifteenth century...
to Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
and Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
music, though he has occasionally ventured into the classical or even the romantic period.
Musical education
Savall's musical training started at the age of six in the school choir of his native town (1947–55). After completion of training at the BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
Conservatory of Music (1959–65), he specialised in early music, collaborating with Ars Musicae Barcelona of Enric Gispert and studying under August Wenzinger
August Wenzinger
August Wenzinger was a prominent cellist, viol player, conductor, teacher, and music scholar from Basel, Switzerland. He was a pioneer of historically informed performance, both as a master of the viola da gamba and as a conductor of Baroque orchestral music and operas.Wenzinger received his...
at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
Schola Cantorum Basiliensis is a music academy and research institution located in Basel, Switzerland, and focusing on early music and historically informed performance....
in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(1968–70). In 1974 he succeeded Wenzinger as professor of viola da gamba at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
Ensembles
In 1974 he formed the ensemble Hespèrion XX (known since 2000 as Hespèrion XXIHespèrion XXI
Hespèrion XXI is an international early music ensemble. The group was formed in Basel, Switzerland in 1974 as Hespèrion XX by Spanish musical director Jordi Savall , Montserrat Figueras , Lorenzo Alpert , and Hopkinson Smith...
), together with the soprano Montserrat Figueras
Montserrat Figueras
Montserrat Figueras García was a Catalan soprano who specialized in early music....
(his wife), Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith
Hopkinson Smith
Hopkinson Smith is an American lutenist.Born in New York, he graduated from Harvard with Honors in Music...
. Hespèrion XX favoured a style of interpretation characterised by great musical vitality and, at the same time, ultimate historical accuracy.
La Capella Reial de Catalunya
La Capella Reial de Catalunya was created in Barcelona in 1987 by its conductor Jordi Savall as a group of soloist singers whose aim is to make the repertoire of Catalan historical music and, by extension, that of Spanish and other music widely known throughout the world...
, a vocal ensemble devoted to music from before the 18th century.
In 1989 Savall created Le Concert des Nations
Le Concert des Nations
Le Concert des Nations is an orchestra with period instruments, able to perform the orchestral and symphonic repertoire from the Baroque to Romanticism: 1600 - 1850. The orchestra was created in 1989, the youngest of the groups conducted by the Catalan maestro and viola da gamba virtuoso Jordi Savall...
, an orchestra which is generally dedicated to music from the baroque period, but sometimes also performs music from the classical or romantic repertoire (e.g. Sinfonía Grande Orquesta by Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga).
More recently, Savall has performed with his family. The Savall family ensemble includes Jordi Savall's wife, Montserrat Figueras, and their two children, Arianna and Ferran. Arianna Savall
Arianna Savall
Arianna Savall is a Swiss-born Catalan classical singer, harpist, and composer.She is the daughter of composer and viol player Jordi Savall and the late singer Montserrat Figueras, and the sister of Ferran Savall. She studied voice at the Conservatory of Terrassa with María Dolores Aldea in 1993...
plays the harp and sings, like her mother. Ferran Savall plays the theorbo
Theorbo
A theorbo is a plucked string instrument. As a name, theorbo signifies a number of long-necked lutes with second pegboxes, such as the liuto attiorbato, the French théorbe des pièces, the English theorbo, the archlute, the German baroque lute, the angélique or angelica. The etymology of the name...
(bass lute) and sings (not only with his family but also in jazz clubs in Barcelona).
Recordings
Savall's discography includes more than 100 recordings. Originally recording with EMI ClassicsEMI Classics
EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
, and then from 1975 with the Astrée label of Michel Bernstein
Michel Bernstein
Michel Bernstein was a French musical producer and founder of several record labels.Bernstein's first contact with classical music was hearing the school music teacher play Beethoven on an out-of-tune piano at the age of 15, but thereafter he took a lively interest in music and recordings.-...
, since 1998 he has released his records under his own label, Alia Vox.
Honours and awards
In 2000 Savall was awarded the Premi d'Honor Lluís Carulla, given for service to Catalan culture or for scientific, cultural or civic works in the Catalan language.He was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa degree by the University of Barcelona
University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. It is a member of the Coimbra Group, LERU, European University Association, Mediterranean Universities Union, International Research Universities Network and Vives Network...
on 27 November 2006.
He was twice nominated for a Grammy.
In 2008 Savall was appointed a European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
ambassador for intercultural dialogue. In June 2008 he and his wife, Montserrat Figueras, were named "Artists for Peace" by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
In February, 2009 he received the Handel Music Prize
Handel Music Prize
The Handel Music Prize, in German Händel-Preis, is an annual award presented by the city of Halle, in Germany, in honour of the celebrated Baroque composer George Frideric Handel. It is awarded “for exceptional artistic, academic or politico-cultural services as far as these are connected with the...
from the city of Halle, Germany
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, and the National Music Prize from the National Council of Music and Arts of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
. In 2010, he was given the Praetorius Musikpreis Niedersachsen and a MIDEM Classical Award, for his album "Jerusalem –La ville des deux Paix: La paix céleste et la paix terrestre."
In 2012 Savall was awarded the Léonie Sonning Music Prize
Léonie Sonning Music Prize
The Léonie Sonning Music Prize, or Sonning Award, which is recognized as Denmark's highest musical honor, is given annually to an international composer or musician. It was first awarded in 1959 to composer Igor Stravinsky...
.
Filmography
Savall adapted and performed music for the 1991 Alain Corneau film, Tous les matins du mondeTous les matins du monde (film)
Tous les matins du monde is a 1991 French film based on the book of the same name....
. His work on this film earned him a César
César Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
award from the French film industry in 1992. The soundtrack has sold more than a million copies worldwide.
As a composer, Jordi Savall has written music for the following films:
- (1991) Tous les matins du monde (All the World's Mornings) by Alain CorneauAlain CorneauAlain Corneau was a French film director and writer.Corneau was born in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret. Originally a musician, he worked with Costa-Gavras as an assistant, which was also his first opportunity to work with the actor Yves Montand, with whom he would collaborate three times later in his...
- (1993) El Pajaro de la felicidad (The Bird of Happiness) by Pilar MiróPilar MiróPilar Miró was a Spanish screenwriter and film director.She directed TVE from 1986 to 1989, and in the 90's, the weddings of the daughters of King Juan Carlos I. In 1992, her film Beltenebros won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution at the 42nd Berlin International Film...
- (1993) Joan the Maiden, Part 1: The BattlesJoan the Maiden, Part 1: The BattlesJoan the Maiden, Part 1: The Battles is a 1994 French film directed by Jacques Rivette. It chronicles the Life of Joan of Arc and was followed by Joan the Maiden, Part 2: The Prisons.-Cast:*Sandrine Bonnaire as Jeanne d'Arc...
by Jacques RivetteJacques RivetteJacques Rivette is a French film director. His most well known films include Celine and Julie Go Boating, La Belle Noiseuse and the cult film Out 1.... - (1994) Joan the Maiden, Part 2: The PrisonsJoan the Maiden, Part 2: The PrisonsJoan the Maiden, Part 2: The Prisons is a 1994 French film directed by Jacques Rivette. It chronicles the Life of Joan of Arc and follows the first film Joan the Maiden, Part 1: The Battles.-Cast:*Sandrine Bonnaire as Jeanne d'Arc...
by Jacques RivetteJacques RivetteJacques Rivette is a French film director. His most well known films include Celine and Julie Go Boating, La Belle Noiseuse and the cult film Out 1.... - (1997) Hosszú alkony (i.e. Long Dusk) by Attila Janisch
- (1997) Marquise by Vera BelmontVéra BelmontVéra Belmont is a French film producer, director and screenwriter. She has produced over 40 films since 1960. Her 1985 film Red Kiss was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival, where Charlotte Valandrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.-Selected filmography:* The Cop * Quest...
- (1998) Top SecretTop Secret (1998 film)-Cast:*Sandrine Bonnaire as Sylvie*Jerzy Radziwilowicz as Walser*Grégoire Colin as Paul*Laure Marsac as Véronique / Ludivine*Françoise Fabian as Geneviève*Christine Vouilloz as Myriam...
by Jacques RivetteJacques RivetteJacques Rivette is a French film director. His most well known films include Celine and Julie Go Boating, La Belle Noiseuse and the cult film Out 1....
External links
- Alia-vox.com, Jordi Savall's official website.
- Complete discography at Medieval.org
- The private website Classic @ la carte is devoted primarily to Jordi Savall's works.
- Misteria Paschalia Festival