Life
Jordi Savall was born on 1 August 1941 in Igualada, near Barcelona, Spain, and baptized Jordi Savall i Bernadet. He trained at the Barcelona Conservatory, graduating in 1965, then dedicated himself to the viola da gamba, specializing at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel under August Wenzinger, whom he succeeded as professor of viol in 1974. A Spanish conductor, composer and viol player, Savall has been a central figure in Western early music since the 1970s. In 1974 he founded the ensemble Hespèrion XX (later Hespèrion XXI) with his wife, soprano Montserrat Figueras; he later founded La Capella Reial de Catalunya (1987) and Le Concert des Nations (1989), building a discography of more than 200 recordings on his own Alia Vox label.
Impact
Savall did more than any other performer to rescue the viola da gamba and its repertoire from obscurity, showing that early music could be both scholarly and emotionally vivid for mainstream audiences. Through Hespèrion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Le Concert des Nations he uncovered forgotten Renaissance and early Baroque scores from Spain, Italy and beyond, pairing rigorous historical research with vital, theatrical performance. His Alia Vox label and international touring made historically informed performance commercially viable worldwide.
Repertoire
Lachrimae, or Seaven Teares by John Dowland
John Dowland. Lachrimae, 1604. Lachrimae Antiquae – Jordi Savall — 2013 · From Lachrimae or Seven Teares, Alia Vox
Dowland – Lachrimae or Seven Tears 1604 + Presentation (Jordi Savall, Hespèrion) — Full album upload
L’Orfeo: Toccata by Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi: “L’Orfeo”, Toccata (conductor J. Savall)
L’Orfeo: Toccata — 2015
Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae (Holy Week Responsories) by Tomás Luis de Victoria
Tomás Luis de Victoria – Officivm Hebdomadæ Sanctæ – Jordi Savall — 2021