Concert information
At the invitation of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Info
Forceful, energetic, and spiritual at once: Jordi Savall’s interpretations of sacred music possess a uniquely captivating energy. With his ensembles Le Concert des Nations and the Capella Nacional de Catalunya, the Catalan maestro now performs Mozart’s Requiem. As the composer’s farewell work, it holds a mythical status – yet its musical substance alone is overwhelming: from the dark visions of the Last Judgment to the hopeful radiance of eternal light. The concert opens with Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, a work full of enchanting melodies, performed by the Italian clarinettist Francesco Spendolini.
Artists
Le Concert des Nations
Capella Nacional de Catalunya
Jordi Savall direction
Francesco Spendolini basset horn, basset clarinet
Lina Johnson soprano
Eva Zaïcik mezzo-soprano
Manuel Walser bass
David Fischer tenor
Programme
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A major, K. 622
Interval
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Requiem in D minor, K. 626 (Version from Franz Xaver Süßmayr)
Additional information
Duration ca. 2 hours (incl. 20 minutes interval)
Main Auditorium
23 to 75 €
Introduction
19:15
Series R: Originalklang
“With salt and pepper”
Jordi Savall in conversation
Jordi Savall is a viol player and a conductor who has founded multiple world-class ensembles and is now an institution in the field of historically informed performance practice. This season has seen him appearing for the first time at the helm of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and he now returns with Le Concert des Nations to perform the Mozart Requiem. In the course of this interview he speaks about his debut and explains what makes the Requiem unique for him, while at the same time painting a very personal portrait of Mozart as a human being.
Biographies
Le Concert des Nations & La Capella Nacional de Catalunya
Le Concert des Nations, founded in 1989 by Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, is an original instrument ensemble that brilliantly brings to life a wide repertoire ranging from the Baroque to Romantic eras. The name, referring to François Couperin’s suite collection Les Nations and the idea of a synthesis of national styles, is a statement of purpose. The ensemble’s members, who were nominated as “Orchestra of the Year 2023” by Gramophone Magazine, hail from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, as well as various Latin American countries, and are all internationally renowned specialists in historical performance practice.
La Capella Reial, the chamber choir, was likewise founded by Montserrat Figueras and Jordi Savall, and has played a pivotal role in rediscovering Catalan and Hispanic musical heritage. Since 2020, the ensemble has focused on choral and orchestral repertoire from the 19th century, presenting performances of Haydn’s The Creation, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and choral works by Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Bruckner, and Brahms. To meet the demands of larger-scale repertoire with equal excellence, La Capella Nacional de Catalunya was founded in 2021—a choir expanding the chamber choir La Capella Reial de Catalunya to 40 singers.
Jordi Savall
Jordi Savall is a visionary, thinker, and revolutionary—one of the icons of historical performance and a grand master of the viola da gamba. As director of the original instrument ensembles he founded with soprano Montserrat Figueras—Hespèrion XXI, Le Concert des Nations, and La Capella Reial de Catalunya—he has rediscovered forgotten sounds from many centuries: works of the Renaissance and French Baroque, music from Galicia, Algeria, Italy, the Sephardic Jews, and the Arab cultural sphere.
Born in 1941 in northern Catalonia, this exceptional musician has reached a broad audience of all ages through his intensive concert activity, more than 230 published recordings, and his involvement in Alain Corneau’s film Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings of the World), for which he was awarded the César for Best Film Score. Through his own label, Alia Vox, he publishes elaborately produced editions that tell stories of distant lands and times—about Charles V, the conquest of Constantinople, Don Quixote, Joan of Arc, Christopher Columbus, or slavery. In addition, Jordi Savall has expanded his repertoire to include works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert.The Berliner Philharmoniker have repeatedly invited Jordi Savall and his ensembles for guest performances at the Philharmonie since 2011. This season saw two debuts: Savall conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Karajan Academy.
Francesco Spendolini
Francesco Spendolini captivates his audience with breathtaking technique and a refined sense of sound and expression. The Italian musician studied in Pesaro and Vicenza before earning two Master of Arts degrees with distinction in historical performance practice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, thus gaining a repertoire that spans from the Middle Ages to the Romantic era. Francesco Spendolini regularly collaborates with leading Baroque orchestras and period instrument ensembles, including La Cetra, Les Musiciens du Louvre, the Venice Baroque Orchestra, and Le Cercle de l’Harmonie. He enjoys a particularly close artistic partnership with Le Concert des Nations and Jordi Savall.
Moreover, he also appears with “modern” symphony orchestras, such as the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the orchestras of Padua and Veneto, and the orchestra of Teatro Verdi in Trieste. In addition to his concert activities, Francesco Spendolini is committed to fostering young artistic talent, gives masterclasses, and, since 2014, has served as co-lecturer for the Harmoniemusik Laboratory at the Faculty of Early Music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
Lina Johnson
The Norwegian-American soprano Lina Johnson captivates with her radiant voice and charismatic stage presence. She appears at opera houses in Oslo, Zurich, Berlin, and Vienna, performing roles such as Despina (Così fan tutte), Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), and Adele (Die Fledermaus). Engagements have taken her to the Bregenz Festival and the Bergen International Festival. She studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and at the Royal Opera Academy in Copenhagen.
Eva Zaïcik
The French mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïcik is among the outstanding voices of her generation. She is the recipient of the Young Artist Award at the Victoires de la Musique Classique and the second prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, performing at venues such as the Opéra Royal de Versailles and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées under conductors like William Christie and Emmanuelle Haïm. Her repertoire spans from the Baroque to the Romantic era. She studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.
David Fischer
The German tenor David Fischer impresses with his clear, expressive voice and stylistic versatility. After studying at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, he became a member of the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and has since appeared at renowned venues such as those in Zurich, Munich, Vienna, and Paris. His roles include Tamino (The Magic Flute), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Cassio (Otello), and Lensky (Eugene Onegin). Concert performances take him to the Salzburg Festival, the Victoria Hall in Geneva, and the Bach Festival Leipzig.
Manuel Walser
Der Schweizer Bassbariton Manuel Walser beeindruckt mit seiner warmen, nuancenreichen Stimme und seinen eindringlichen Interpretationen. Nach dem Studium an der Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin war er Mitglied des Opernstudios der Wiener Staatsoper. Er gastiert an Opernhäusern in Wien, Zürich, Berlin und München und singt Rollen wie Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte) und Wolfram (Tannhäuser). Als gefragter Liedsänger tritt er unter anderem in der Londoner Wigmore Hall, im Pierre-Boulez-Saal Berlin und bei den Salzburger Festspielen auf.
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