Spanish conductor, composer and viol visionary Jordi Savall returns to Melbourne Recital Centre for two special concerts on 23 & 24 February 2023.

Announced today, Spanish conductor and master of the viol, Jordi Savall will return with early music ensemble Hespèrion XXI to Elisabeth Murdoch Hall at Melbourne Recital Centre this February for the Centre’s must-experience 2023 Signature Event.

For over 50 years, Jordi Savall has remained one of the most versatile musical masters of his generation, rescuing gems from obscurity and returning them to the world for all to enjoy. A tireless researcher into early music, he interprets and performs the repertoire both as viol player and director. He has recorded and released more than 230 discs covering the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical music repertories, with a special focus on the Hispanic and Mediterranean musical heritage, receiving many awards and distinctions such as the Midem Classical Award, the International Classical Music Award and the Grammy Award.

In 1974, Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, together with Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith, founded the ancient music ensemble Hespèrion XX in Basel as a way of recovering and disseminating the rich and fascinating musical repertoire prior to the 19th century. The name Hespèrion means ‘an inhabitant of Hesperia’, which in ancient Greek referred to the two most westerly peninsulas in Europe: the Iberian and the Italian. At the turn of the 21st century, Hespèrion XX became known as Hespèrion XXI.

Ancient and early music’s most important value stems from its ability as a universal artistic language to transmit feelings, emotions and ancestral ideas that even today can enthrall the contemporary listener. Today Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI are central to the understanding of the music of the period between the Middle Ages and the Baroque, and their exquisite performances enable people to freely enjoy the aesthetic and spiritual delicacy of the works of this historical period.

On Thursday 23 February, Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI present Fantasies, Battles and Dances: The Golden Age of European Consort Music – vibrant music of the Renaissance and Baroque featuring works by Tye, Alberti, Dowland, Lawes, Ferrabosco, Bach, Purcell, Cabanilles and more.

On Friday 24 February, Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI present The Venetian Influences in Musical Europe – a lively exploration of ricercari, capricci, canzoni, sonatas, dances and variations from the Renaissance and Baroque.

About Melbourne Recital Centre’s Signature Events

Melbourne Recital Centre’s Signature Event is a must-see concert experience for music-lovers of all kinds. Featuring global pioneers who have transformed classical music with their virtuosity, style and skill, these events are guaranteed musical highlights in concertgoers’ calendars. Past Signature Event artists and ensembles include Academy of St Martin in the Fields (UK), Les Arts Florissants (FRA), Mahler Chamber Orchestra (GER) and more. The Centre has won six Helpmann Awards from 2013 – 2019 for its Signature Events and is an experience that is spirited and glorious, offering memorable moments of awe and wonder that last long after the concert concludes.

About the Viol

A member of the string family, the viol, or viola da gamba, is an instrument of the Baroque period, and gained prominence as a consort instrument. The viol differs from the cello, having six strings instead of four, and is tuned similarly to a lute or guitar.

Quotes

‘All the mornings of the world may fade away, but Jordi Savall endures.’ Boston Globe

‘That Savall is a master of an instrument long out of currency (the viol being an ancestor to the modern string family) may suggest a musician confined to a limited realm, but no one in early music has ventured as far as he has during the last half century… Savall is simply the kind of magnificent player, and his ensembles such vehicles of unqualified community and joy, that sweetness even seeps into expression of sorrow.’ Los Angeles Times

Melbourne Recital Centre’s Signature Event is a must-see concert experience for music-lovers. Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI will perform at the Melbourne Recital Centre on 23 and 24 February 2023.

For further information and to reserve your seat visit melbournerecital.com.au