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Montserrat Figueras -
biography
and discography Montserrat Figueras - soprano - was born in Barcelona, where she studied singing and acting. At a very early age, Montserrat Figueras gave her first concert with the Catalan Early Music ensemble, ARS MUSICAE. In 1968 she left for Basle and studied early and modern music at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Conservatoire. She worked under Kurt Widmer, Thomas Binkley and later with Eva Krasznai. Six years later, Jordi Savall (her husband since 1968), Montserrat Figueras, Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith founded the ensemble HESPERION XX. In 1987 Jordi Savall founded the vocal and instrumental ensemble LA CAPELLA REIAL of which Montserrat is a member. Montserrat Figueras has developed a most personal conception of the interpretation of early vocal music, especially from Spain and Catalonia. Montserrat Figueras received several awards: Edison Klassiek , Grand Prix of the Nouvelle Académie du Disque and Grande Prix of the Académie Charles Cross, to mention a few. Note: Goldbergweb copied this text. Copyright ©1997-2009, Mike Heemskerk for discography, other information and other musical links.
"The effect is tremendous. Figueras' sense of time is
elastic; she floats above and around the beat, giving priority to
the rhythm of the words she sings but never without reference to
the drum's meter. Memelsdorff answers her in improvised
counterpoint, Lester Young to her Billie Holiday. Estevan holds
his ground, and the slow and stiff meter he marks only seems to
provoke Figueras and Memelsdorff to ever more freely stretch and
contact their phrases. When the drum finally stops, and the last
notes of the song die away, there is a moment of stunned silence
before the church bursts into applause."Quotation from: Damon Krukowski |
