Hespèrion XXI

In 1974 Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras joined with Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith to found the ensemble Hespèrion XX, which since the year 2000 has been known as Hespèrion XXI. In ancient Greek, the word “Hesperien” referred to the two most westerly peninsulas in Europe: the Iberian and the Italian; it was also used for the planet Venus. The ensemble’s goal is to represent the development of music between the Middle Ages and the Baroque, especially with regard to the cultures of the Mediterranean and the era surrounding the reconquista. The performances are preceded by an extensive period of research that has made many previously unpublished scores again accessible and that explores specific instruments and the performance practice of the time in question. More than 60 CDs document the ensemble’s artistic work, which is performed around the world in concerts and at all the major early-music festivals.

July 2017