Cast
Jordi Savall — Gambist
Program notes
Jordi Savall holds an exceptionnal place in contemporary music. For over 30 years now, he has given a new life to musical marvels that were abandonned in darkness and indifference: day after day, he reads, studies and interprets these pieces with his Viol or as a conductor.
The refinement of the viola da gamba, beyond which there is only silence, had been removed to the "happy few" who honoured it.
Thanks to three musical ensembles created with Montserrat Figueras: Hespèrion, La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations, the two performers created a universe filled with emotions and beauty. Their concerts and discography earned them the salute of the music industry as guardians of forgotten music.
Jordi Savall is one of the most versatile musical personalities of his generation. Performer, teacher, researcher and initiator of new musical and cultural projects, he is an essential actor in today's revalution of historical and ancient music. His participation to Alain Corneau's movie Tous les Matins du Monde (César for the best soundtrack) was crucial, his concerts (approx. 140 per year), his discography (6 recordings per year) and the recent creation of his own production label, Alia Vox, proves that ancient music is not only for the elite and can interest a younger and abundant audience, throughout the world. Jordi Savall began to practice in a children's choir at the age of 6, in Igualda (Barcelona), his hometown. He began his cello studies in 1964 at the Barcelona conservatory. In 1965 he starts his self-teaching of the viola da gamba and ancient music (Ars Musicae); in 1968 he deepens his musical knowledge at la Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland). During his career, he has recorded over 160 CDs, and has received many awards, including: Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres (1988), la Creu de Sant Jordi (1990), Musician of the year at Monde de la Musique (1992) and Soloist of the year at les Victoires de la Musique (1993), Médaille d'Or des Beaux Arts (1998), Honorary Member of Konzerthaus de Vienne (1999), Docteur Honoris Causa from the Université Catholique de Louvain (2002), Victoire de la musique for his career (2002) and in 2003, la Médaille d'Or du Parlement de Catalunya, le Prix d'Honneur de la Deutsche Schallplattenkritik and numerous "Midem Classical Awards" (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005).
