Performance | Spain
Not just a master of the viola da gamba, Jordi Savall has a commitment to unearthing and preserving neglected historical music. In his native Spain, he’s known as one of the most versatile musical personalities of his generation; renowned as a concert performer, researcher, composer, curator and conductor. He has released more than 230 albums, covering the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical music repertories, with a special focus on the Hispanic and Mediterranean musical heritage. More than 60 of those CDs were recorded with the ensemble Hespèrion XXI, which he founded in Basel with Montserrat Figueras in 1974, to explore pre-19th century music using original instruments. In an exclusive for the Castlemaine State Festival, he and his quartet will perform his classic 1991 soundtrack to Alain Corneau’s Tous les Matins du Monde. In the film, Gérard Depardieu plays the 17th-century viola da gamba virtuoso Marin Marais, but it’s Savall doing the baroque overdubs.
‘An imaginative extravaganza.’ —NEW YORK TIMES
