How it all began   HESPÈRION XXI
Dir: Jordi Savall

Closing the season, Jordi Savall and his Hespèrion XXI ensemble take us back to the origins of instrumental music – to a period of openness to influences from a wide variety of sources but also of ruthless power struggles, as exemplified, amongst other things, by the Crusades. Savall covers a broad spectrum, ranging from Sephardic and Andalusian traditions, through the estampies of the Manuscrit du Roi and the Italian istampittas of the Trecento, to Armenia and Istanbul. The result is a soundscape in which Europe and the Orient were in contact over the centuries – a permeable space and melting pot for knowledge, music and poetry from the South, North and East.

Troubadour songs, dances and other forms of instrumental music reveal how closely medieval Europe was linked to the cultures of the Mediterranean. Blending courtly forms, oral tradition and improvisation, music developed and flourished through exchange, transmission and transformation. It conveys not only history, but also a sense of togetherness, the idea that contact can forge connections – transcending borders, time and language.

HESPÈRION XXI
Efren López – Oud, rebab and hurdy-gurdy
Hakan Güngör – Kanun
David Mayoral – Percussion and bells
Dir: Jordi Savall – Viola da gamba, rebec