La Capella Reial de Catalunya

The vocal ensemble La Capella Reial de Catalunya was founded in 1987 by Montserrat Figueras and Jordi Savall with the goal of exploring and performing Spanish vocal polyphony before 1800. Their model was the royal vocal ensembles known in medieval times as the “Capelles Reials” or “Chapels Royal,” for whom the great sacred and secular works of the Iberian peninsula were composed. The repertoire of the Capella Reial de Catalunya ranges from the cantigas of Alfons el Sabio and the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat to Mozart’s Requiem; it especially includes composers of the Renaissance and of the Catalan, Spanish, and European Baroque, from Mateu Flecha, Cristóbal de Morales, and Francisco Guerrero to Claudio Monteverdi and Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber. Their work also embraces Sephardic songs, the romances from Don Quixote by Cervantes, and Spanish music of the 15^th century and even includes an excursion into contemporary music with works by Arvo Pärt. Since its founding, the ensemble has performed under the direction of Jordi Savall in concerts around the world, appearing at the most important early music festivals. They are also active in opera performances: for example, the Capella Reial de Catalunya has taken part in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Teatro Real Madrid, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Opéra de Bordeaux, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and the Edinburgh Festival. The ensemble has moreover participated in the sound-track for Jacques Rivette’s Jeanne La Pucelle, a history film about the life of Jeanne d’Arc. To date the singers have released some 40 CDs, many of which have garnered awards. La Capella Reial de Catalunya has been sponsored by the Generalitat de Catalunya since 1990 and is supported by the Institute Ramon Llull.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut as part of the 1995 Easter Festival, when the chorus performed in two concerts conducted by Jordi Savall.

Februar 2016