Battaglie & Lamenti - 1600-1660

Jordi Savall (b.1941) is a viol player & conductor from Catalunya. He has been one of the major figures in Early Music since the 1970s, and has been a major exponent of solo viola da gamba performance as well as various innovative approaches to ensemble. His repertory ranges from the medieval era to the French baroque and beyond.

Savall is so popular, he is often referred to as God. In fact, this is something of an "in" joke there. Savall's popularity really took off with the movie Tous les matins du monde, although he was well-known to viola da gamba enthusiasts prior to that.

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Montserrat was born to a musically inclined family. She started studying singing at a very early age with Jordi Albareda, complementing her vocal work with theatre. She also collaborated with musical ensembles such as the chorus Aleluya and Ars Musicae, under the direction of Enris Gispert. In 1968, after marrying Jordi Savall, she travelled with him to Basel, where she completed her musical studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and at the Musikakademie.
She recorded her first disc with Jordi Savall and Ton Koopman: "El Barroco Español". She then participated in the foundation of Hespèrion XX, with which she gave several concerts as a soloist around the world. She has also collaborated several times with La Capella Reial de Catalunya. Although she sepcializes in Renaissance and Baroque music, she has also added other styles to her musical repertoire, including Mozartian programs.