Jordi Savall, one of the most renowned interpreters of early music, has been awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize this year. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the 83-year-old Catalan offers insights into his understanding of music as a universal language and its ability to affect people – even to the point of healing illnesses.
‘I knew a musician who cured gastrointestinal diseases with an instrument,’ Savall reports. For him, music is far more than mere sound: it is ‘language and art’ and reaches ‘as close as possible to the dimension of the spiritual.’ Without sound, music does not exist, but it needs someone who masters its language and understands contexts in order to convey emotions to an audience. ‘Music is always communication,’ emphasizes the prize winner.
Intercultural Influences and an Unusual Sleep Rhythm
Savall, who regularly performs with ensembles such as Hespèrion XXI and the Capella Reial de Catalunya, highlights the importance of intercultural experiences. ‘If you know other cultures and other ways of dealing with beauty, you become richer and more mature,’ he says. For instance, last year he conducted Schumann’s oratorio ‘Paradise and the Peri’ and discovered an influence from old maqams of the Ottoman period. Mozart’s ‘Alla turca’ is also better understood if one knows Turkish music of the late 18th century. In India he learned about Schumann, in Turkey about Mozart – evidence of the cross-border impact of music.
Despite his intensive schedule – Savall tours worldwide, leads master classes, and regularly releases albums – the musician gets by on only five hours of sleep per night. ‘That’s enough for me,’ he says succinctly. He draws his energy from the music itself and from encounters with different cultures.
The full interview with Jordi Savall appears in the current edition of the FAZ.
Source: www.faz.net
