Jordi Savall and María de Alvear received the National Music Awards for Interpretation and Composition respectively. Savall declined to accept the accolade awarded by the Ministry of Culture based on a “question of principle”.
Last Wednesday the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport announced the winners of the National Music Award for Composition María de Alvear and Interpretation Jordi Savall. Soon afterwards, the Catalan musician informed the awarding committee his wish to turn down the award and its monetary component of 30.000€ based on a “question of principle”.
Jordi Savall, of whom the nomination jury emphasized his “work in recovering and diffusing” Spanish national musical heritage, stated his decision was based on the “dramatic indifference” and the “grave incompetence” of the Ministry in the defense and promotion of the artistic world. Mr. Savall firmly believes such a demeanor is seriously detrimental in promoting an unknown milenary Hispanic musical heritage.
The former notwithstanding, Mr. Savall thanked the jury’s mention of his unparalleled trajectory as a world reference of the viola de gamba with more than 70 recording projects of English, French, German, Italian and Spanish music. Both his roles as a historian of Ancient Music, for which he holds a professorship in the Schola Cantorum de Basiliensis, and his activity as music director in diffusing the music genre prior to the 20th century (Capella Reial de Catalunya,Hespèrion XXI y Concert des Nations) were also highly praised in the jury’s nomination.
Shortly after the Ministry conveyed it’s absolute understanding and respect of Mr. Savall’s decision, while at the same time stating the selected jury’s independent status.
The other awardee, María de Alvear, even though she did not follow in Mr. Savall’s footsteps, did show full understanding with regards to his decision. The jury praised the pioneer demeanor of Mrs. De Alvear’s interdisciplinary vision (the combination of stage, sound, radio, video creation and electro-acoustic), the transgressive style when following musical influences, which derive from the ethnomusicological explorations in North America, as well as her commitment towards young composers.
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