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SavallFor more than thirty years Jordi Savall has been devoted to the rediscovery of abandoned musical treasures: thirty years of research, reading and playing them with his viola da gamba or conducting their performance. He has restored an essential repertoire that he revives for music lovers around the world. With his three ensembles – Hespèrion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations, all founded together with Montserrat Figueras, Jordi Savall is fast becoming one of the most important protectors of early music. His key contribution to Alain Corneau’s film Tous les Matins du Monde (winner of a César best-soundtrack award), his busy concert life (over 140 concerts a year) and recording schedule (six recordings a year), and the creation of his own record label Alia Vox, demonstrates that early music does not necessarily have to be elitist, and can be very fascinating for a public that is getting younger and more numerous all the time.
Jordi Savall began his musical studies when he was six years old as a singer in the Children’s Choir in Igualada (Catalonia), his hometown, then he went on to learn the cello, completing his studies in the Barcelona Conservatory (1964). In 1965 he started teaching himself to play the viola da gamba and early music (Ars Musicae), moving on to advanced studies in 1968 at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland). There he succeeded to the post of his teacher August Wenzinger in 1973, and taught many courses and master classes for some time.
He has recorded over 170 Cds, winning many awards, including the Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres (1988), the Creu de Sant Jordi (1990), “Musician of the Year” from Le Monde de la Musique (1992) and “Soloist of the Year” in the Victoires de la Musique (1993), La Medalla de Oro de las Bellas Artes (1998), Honorary Member of the Konzerthaus in Vienna (1999), honorary doctorates from the Université Catholique de Louvain (2000) and from the Universitat de Barcelona (2006), Victoire de la Musique for his professional career (2002), the Medalla d’Or of the Parliament of Catalonia (2003), and the Honorary Prize of the Deustchen Schallplattenkritik (2003).
He has also won various Midem Classical Awards (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2010). In 2006, his double Cd Don Quijote de la Mancha, Romances y Músicas won him an award in the “early music” category, and was also selected as “2006 Record of the Year”.
In 2008 Jordi Savall was appointed “Artist for Peace” in the UNESCO good will ambassadors program. In 2009 he was appointed once again Ambassador of the European Year of creativity and innovation by the European Union, and received the National Price of Music 2009, given by the Catalan Government National Council of Culture and Arts. Together with Montserrat Figueras, Jordi Savall has received the Prix Méditerranée from the Centre Méditerranéen de Littérature in Perpignan, and also the Prize for the Peace in Germany.
In 2010, Jordi Savall received the prize from the Royal Academy of the Arts and Sciences – Music Awards for the best soloist with the Cd The Celtic Viol. He was also awarded the Praetorius Musikpreis Niedersächsisches in Germany.
Jordi Savall has just been appointed “Commandeur des Arts et des Letters” and “Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur” by the French Department of Culture. He has also has received the Léonie Sonning Music prize, 2012.
He performed at Stresa Festival in 2003.

 

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