Hespèrion XXI
Hespèrion XXI (pronounced Hesperion veintiuno; talked about earlier Hespèrion XX: Hesperion veinte ) is an international board of ensemble, which specializes in the interpretation of early music, in the sense of historical performance practice. It was founded in 1974 in Basel by Jordi Savall (string instruments, particularly viol ) and his wife, Montserrat Figueras ( vocalist, soprano), Lorenzo Alpert (flutes, percussion ), and Hopkinson Smith ( plucked ), founded.
Name and program
Hesperia called the Ancient Greeks, the almost inaccessible for them country Hispania at the western end of the Mediterranean. Hesperus ( evening star ) they called not directly accessible to the people planet Venus, which appears on the western evening sky. Stood for the founder of the group and is the name Hesperion XXI ( XX, respectively ) for a distant, unknown land of music, which has to be discovered from the 21st (20th) century ( was ). This applies to the early music of Germany and Italy, but in a special way for those of Spain where the culture strand to this music by the Reconquista, the reconquest of Spain from the Moors, was completely demolished. The name of the group thus reflects their program: they tried to approach, without, however, denying the great distance in time to the music of early music.
The musical way
Medieval music
The first recordings of the ensemble themed secular music of Spain 1450-1550. Jordi Savall contrasted this Christian and Jewish musical traditions. To stand against songs from the vicinity of King Ferdinand and the Duke of Alba romances of the Sephardim.
Mid -1970s, as Hespèrion XX published his first records, the historical performance practice was still in its infancy. Jordi Savall put the contents of medieval music and its contemporary interpretation in the center of the efforts of Hespèrion XX. The group focused above all on that repertoire, are closely related to each other in the vocal and instrumental elements. This applies particularly to the secular music.
The group was influenced in its vocal program by the soprano voice of Montserrat Figueras. She made it possible to develop with the love songs of Trobairitz a new repertoire that had been previously neglected.
Turning to baroque music
A name Hespèrion XX had initially acquired with recordings of medieval music. From the 1980s, the ensemble is open by integrating multiple viols of Baroque music. So a record with dances of the Englishman William Brade from the time in 1981 under the title Hamburger Ratsmusik produced around 1600.
From the late 1980s, when almost all the performers of early music were forced to specialize in an era (Medieval, Renaissance or Baroque), Jordi Savall Hespèrion XX made primarily to the trustees of the French and English instrumental music, which integrated in the orchestra very viols came to meet. But Savall avoided any " drawer" thinking and each thematic narrowing. So he turned to the group renamed to Hespèrion XXI 1999, the Sephardic Music in the Diaspora, 2004, the music in the context of Isabella I of Castile, and in 2005 the music to Don Quixote.
Appreciation
Hespèrion was XXI, and is in all international concert halls and at major festivals. The audience and the critics, the ensemble received much praise times. His recordings have won numerous music awards (see list: prices).
Given the over 30 - year ministry of the group was expressed: the dream of Hermann Hesse in his Glass Bead Game, that the revival of early music will be one of the cultural achievements of the 20th century, was " also thanks to the work of Hespèrion XX / XXI become a reality ".
Prices
- Grand Prix de l' Académie du Disque Français
- Edison Prize Amsterdam
- Grand Prize of the Charles Cros Academy of France
- Grand Prize of the Japanese Recording Academy
- Cannes Classic Award
- Diapason d'or
- Grand Prix FNAC
- Giorgio Gini Foundation Prize
- ECHO Klassik (2013 ) Chamber Music Recording of the Year
Discography
The recordings listed below are ranked according to the date of publication. However, each case is the latest CD edition, if such exists, given.
Recordings as Hespèrion XX:
- Music from Christian and Jewish Spain. Virgin Veritas 5615912 (2 CDs). ( The two CDs have the title: Court Music and Songs from the Age of the Discoverers 1492-1553 y Sephardic Romances from the Age before the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain 1492)
- Llibre Vermell de Montserrat. A Pilgrimage of the 14th century. Digital remastering 1989 Electrola GmbH under exclusive license to Virgin Classics, EMI 7243 5 61174 2 6, 7873 LC
Recordings XXI as Hespèrion:
Compilations / Rekompilationen:
- 2001 - España Antigua. Virgin 7243 5 61 964 2 1 (Information on medieval.org - in English). A CD box with the following recordings Cansós de Trobairitz
- Llibre Vermell de Montserrat
- Secular Music in the Christian and Jewish Spain (1450-1550) (2 CDs). Here, under the title: Court Music and Songs from the Age of the Discoverers 1492-1553 y Sephardic Romances from the Age before the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492
- Viva rey Ferrando. Here, under the title: Renaissance music from the Neapolitan Court, 1442-1556
- Antonio de Cabezon ( 1510-1566 ). instrumental works
- Canciones y Danzas de España.
- El Barroco Español - Tonos humanos & Instrumental music c.1640 - 1700s.
- 2001 - Music for the Spanish Kings. Virgin Veritas 7243 5 61875 2 8 (information on medieval.org - in English). A box with 2 CDs of the following recordings: Viva rey Ferrando. Here, under the title: Renaissance music from the Neapolitan Court, 1442-1556
- Antonio de Cabezon ( 1510-1566 ). instrumental works
- 2002 - A Musical Banquet. Schein, Scheidt, Gabrieli. Virgin Veritas 7243 5 62 028 2 5 (information on medieval.org - in English). Box with the following recordings: Johann Hermann Schein: Banchetto musicale
- Samuel Scheidt: Ludi Musici ( prima pars )
- Giovanni Gabrieli - Giuseppe Guami: Canzoni da sonar
- 2003 - Pieces for the viols. Astrée ( Naïve ) " Musica Britannica " IT 9986 (information on medieval.org - in English). . Box with 5 CDs following recordings Matthew Locke: Consort of Fower Parts
- Tobias Hume: Music_Major humor ( 1605 )
- Christopher Tye: Lawdes Deo - Complete Consort Musicke
- John Dowland: Seven Teares or Lachrimae (1604 )
- Henry Purcell: Fantasias for the Viols ( 1680)
- 2004 - Jordi Savall - Music in Europe 1550-1650. Virgin " Classics" 7243 4 82025 2 9 (Information on medieval.org - in English). A box with 5 CDs following recordings: Antonio de Cabezon ( 1510-1566 ). instrumental works
- Canciones y Danzas de España.
- Giovanni Gabrieli - Giuseppe Guami: Canzoni da sonar
- Johann Hermann Schein: Banchetto musicale
- Samuel Scheidt: Ludi Musici ( prima pars )