Jordi Savall: "When a man decides to disobey laws that are unjust, no man's tyranny will enslave him"
The Igualda-born musician is awarded the Gold Medal of the Generalitat in an event where he noted that "art and culture must be useful to society"
Last Friday Jordi Savall was awarded the Gold Medal of the Generalitat in an event held in Saló Sant Jordi of Palau de la Generalitat. The medal honours Savall's "outstanding musical career" and "his remarkable contribution to culture and civility". In his thank-you speech, the Igualda-born musician remarked that "it is in recognition of a career that spans many years". Savall recalled how his mother would sing him lullabies and how his father --a republican that was wounded in Igualada [during the war]-- supported him when he decided to play the cello. He also had words for his teachers and, naturally, for his "beloved Montserrat Figueres".
Savall noted that "art and culture must be useful to society". "Art for art's sake is not useful", he added. He also mentioned the role of culture "in a world that is growing ever more unfair". "When we write music, we contribute to the well-being of those who listen to it, we create harmony in a troubled world", he explained. He also spoke about music's capacity to "foster harmony and agreement" and, above all, the value of education: "In a music lesson there is no intolerance or racism".
According to Savall, culture and art can contribute to dialogue and mutual understanding and they help to avoid fanaticism. "Our nation is going through a very important time and it's not for me to give advice, but I would like to say that we have a duty to defend our culture and to fight for our people's right to decide what's best for us in the future", he said. Finally, Savall quoted Gandhi when he stated that "when a man decides to disobey laws that are unjust, no man's tyranny will enslave him". "We will prevail", he added at the end of his speech.
Artur Mas: "If music fosters agreement, then we'll have to play and listen to more music"
After Savall's words, president Mas quoted him by saying that if music fosters agreement, "these days we'll have to play and listen to more music". Mas used Savall's words to refer to the nation's current situation and the meeting of the representatives of Catalonia's institutions in 1713. "After much debating, as always, we chose to resist. And not merely to resist: to resist and to construct. And Jordi Savall has a constructive mindset", added the president.
Artur Mas went on to mention further connections between Savall and the current political moment. He stated that prominent individuals such as the Igualada musician "help Catalonia to be recognised worldwide in a positive way". Mas said that, so far, Catalonia has been "a reality capable of achieving great things" in culture, business, science, gastronomy and sport. "And now as a political subject, too. What we are living now truly sets us apart. We get no recognition from Spain, but many people worldwide see us as a political subject", said the president before stressing the importance of outstanding people such as Savall who "at key times, take a stand in favour of our right to determine our future peacefully".
Writer Jaume Cabré spoke about Jordi Savall at the start of the event. "On Thursday he conducted Vivaldi's "Farnace" in Liceu. Today he is in the Generalitat's palace. Next week he'll be travelling to Portugal, Amsterdam and Madrid. After that, it's China and the Lebanon. His schedule tells us about the kind of person that Jordi Savall is", said the author of "Confessions". Cabré highlighted Savall's "wisdom" and his "mastery", as well as his contribution to the projection of Catalan culture. "In the last few months I've been to Toulouse, Paris and Krakow and people have said to me: you're Catalan, like Jordi Savall". It's not just because of Barça that people everywhere know about us", said Cabré.
