Capella de Ministrers & Carles Magraner
Biography Capella de Ministrers & Carles Magraner
Capella de Ministrers
Ever since its foundation in 1987, the Capella de Ministrers ensemble, directed by Carles Magraner, has developed an important investigative and musicological task in favour of the musical Spanish patrimony, from the medieval times up to the 19th century. The result transformed into musical testimony, brings together the perfection of three key factors: the historical rigor, the musical sensibility and, specially, an uncontrollable desire to communicate and they make us participants of these experiences.
The ensemble has performed numerous concerts since its foundation and has played in the best music venues in Spain: the Auditorio Nacional de España, Palau de la Música de Valencia, Palau de la Música Catalana, Auditorio de León, Teatro de La Maestranza, El Escorial, Centro Conde Duque, Auditorio de Castellón, Teatro Cervantes… t has also participated in numerous festivals, such as the Festival de Música Antiga with the recuperation of the opera Los elementos by Antonio Literes), the Festival de Teatro Clásico de Almagro, the Festival de Peralada, the Quinzena Musical Donostiarra, Los Veranos de la Villa (Madrid), the Festival Grec (Barcelona), the Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada and the Festival de Música Religiosa de Cuenca, Serenates a la Universitat (Valencia), Festival Are More (Vigo), Festival Medieval de Elche, International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam, etc..
The group has also performed outside Spain, particularly in France, Belgium, Rumania, Portugal, Holland, Egypt, Italy, Germany, Morocco, England, Poland, Tunisia, Chile, Portugal, Greece, Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Finland, Austria, Cuba, Croazia, China, Algeria, Sweden, Norway, Japan, etc. In May 2008 Capella de Ministrers participated in the inauguration of the “Casa de la Lengua Española en Rodas”, chaired by His Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain. The group took part in the same year in the official acts that took place in the Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet to commemorate the 800th Anniversary of the birth of James I of Aragon.
As a result of their study and recovery of early music, the ensemble has produced more than 55 records for EGT, Blau, Audivis and CDM, the latter being Capella de Ministrers’ own label. The group has been awarded numerous prizes from the specialised press as well as other awards, including best recording production from the Ministry of Culture and the “Importante” award from Editorial Prensa Valenciana as well as diverse record prizes, the Civic Prize 2008 of Almussafes – Ribera Baixa, Difusión Prize Plaça del Llibre 2017, Bankia Award to Valencian Professional Music Ensemble and the Mediterranew Musix Has been winner two times of International Classical Music Award (ICMA) with Quattrocento (2018) and with El collar de la paloma (best Early Music recording 2023) and finalist Super Lamentationes 2021 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) Carles Santos best heritage recovery album, and finalist in this award in 2019 and 2020. Has won Menkes the 2020 best dance show category of Sala Russafa for A Circle in the Water ward, 2022 Best Spanish Early Music Group Press Award and Honour Medal by Consell Valencià de Cultura en 2023. Capella de Ministrers is member of GEMA, Asociación de Grupos Españoles de Música Antigua (Spanish Early Music Groups Association)
Capella de Ministrers activities reach beyond music and into the world of scenic arts, having collaborated with the film and theatre directors Alex Rigola, Juli Leal, Vicent Genovés, Jaume Martorell and Bigas Luna, the choreographer Santiago Sempere, as well as musicians from other disciplines, such as Joan Enric Lluna and Miguel Marín. Capella de Ministrers has premiered the stage version of the zarzuela La Madrileña by Vicente Martín y Soler, the first Spanish Sacred Oratorio, and a historical approach to the interpretation of drama in two parts for the Festivity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin of Elche. Their performance of El Cant de la Sibil.la was included in the Bigas Luna film, Son de Mar. His music from Cant de la Sibil-la forms part of the soundtrack of the film Son de mar by Bigas Luna. In 2003, Capella de Ministrers participated in Luna’s adaptation of the Comedias Bárbaras by Valle-Inclan for the closing performance of the Valencia Biennal. LThe music of the album A Circle in the Water is the original soundtrack of film El cercle en l’aigua, directed by Vicent Monsonís, based in La Estancia play by Chema Cardeña.
Carles Magraner
When someone listens to the music of Carles Magraner, what is perceived is not simply a succession of notes produced by the strokes of the bow on the strings of the viola da gamba, but rather sounds transformed into a chain of feelings and emotions. Much in the same way, his extensive professional career cannot be understood as a number of concerts and recordings, but as the story of much effort and the result of his love for music.
Carles Magraner was born in Almussafes (La Ribera Baixa. Valencia), where he began his musical studies, later completed in the conservatories of Valencia and Carcaixent, where he was awarded a degree as professor of cello. He soon became captivated by early music and specialised in baroque cello and viola da gamba, with studies in Barcelona, Madrid and the Department of Musique Ancienne the Conservatoire National de Région de Toulouse. Also attends seminars on medieval music, Renaissance and Baroque taught by Miquel Querol and Josep Miquel Bonastre, among others, completing his training in Iberian music of XI-XVIII centuries with numerous music seminars. Gets the Musical Creativity Award of the University of Valencia in years 88 and 89 and the Ministry of Culture of young performers. Carles Magraner is Master’s Degree in Early Music, Doctor en Música (PhD) from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and Full Member by M.I. Academia de la Música Valenciana since April 2024.
In addition to his intense activity as a concert performer, both as a soloist and with various chamber ensembles, he has taught in diverse music academies and schools. Moreover his intervention with presentations and lectures in the University of Valencia, University of Alicante, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Universitat de Girona, in the College of Music in Stockholm, Shanghai Conservatory, School of Art in Havana and Mina Gerais (Brasil), International Congress Els mons de Vicente Martín y Soler, and participated in Peñíscola’s cours of early music, also as professor at Francisco Guerrero seminar taught at the International University of Andalusia, UNIA Huelva and in the course of the International University Menéndez Pelayo Barcelona, Centre Ernest Lluch, Lyon-2 and Sorbone Paris, and other conferences, and seminars. In 2004 he was awarded in his hometown with the civic prize. Since 2010 is a specialist teacher in early music at the Conservatory of Castellón. He also participated as an early music specialist in Peñíscola and Morella, in summer courses of the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in Barcelona, and the Universidad Internacional de Andalucia among others. In year 2004 there is awarded the civic price of his natal locality Almussafes – Ribera Baixa. Has been specialized professor in Early Music at Conservatorio Superior de Castellón.
