Wednesday 5 February 2014

A tribute to Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras - two great musicians and introducers of early music

The great Catalan soprano Montserrat Figueras (1942 - 2011) at the
Fes Festival of World Sacred Music and Dance in June 2010.


Jordi Savall i Bernadet, the Catalan viola da gamba master, conductor and composer and his wife, the great soprano Montserrat Figueras have been major figures in the field of Western early music ever since the 1970s. After Montserrat Figueras sadly passed away in 2011, Savall has continued to perform with his orchestras and the couple's two children Ferran and Arianna, both gifted musicians and singers.

Jordi Savall at the Fes Festival


What a joy it was on Sunday (Mezzo television channel, February 2) to watch one of the last recorded concerts with Montserrat Figueras performing together with her husband, along with Hesperion XXI and La Capella Reial de Catalunya and a raft of Israeli, Palestinian, Iraqi, Greek and Armenian guest artists. The programme, called "Jerusalem, Peace in Heaven and on Earth: A magical journey from Sufi music to Hebraic lamentations" was recorded in June 2010 in Morocco, at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music and Dance.

On the same evening Mezzo also showed a concert (recorded in July 2013) from the monastery church in Fontfroide with Jordi Savall conducting his Le Concert des Nations in a program consisting of Bach's suites and concerti.

A truly great evening for friends of early music! Thank you Mezzo!

PS

If you are interested in Jordi Savall's and Montserrat Figueras' recordings, the best place to get information is here


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