Jordi Savall praises folly

The 16^th-century humanist Desiderius Erasmus came up with his timeless masterpiece The Praise of Folly on the way back from a visit to Rome. The much-travelled Erasmus completed his acerbic catalogue of human frailties in 1509 in the house of his friend and kindred spirit Thomas More. He himself described his Praise of Folly as “elegant nonsense”. He knew better, of course, for in this ostensibly farcical text, via Folly, he pilloried the abuses current in the Catholic Church. As an acute observer, at the papal court Erasmus had become aware of the intrigues and rampant corruption there, the effects of wealth and ambition, and the pursuit of pleasure in every form. The Folly raised questions about the profitable trade in indulgences – to which Luther would devote his famous theses that marked the beginning of Protestantism. And there were yet more explosive positions developed in The Praise, such as his declaration that “the people allows itself to be led by nonsense and fabrications.” Or that “Nothing is more foolish than war, for no account is taken of victims...” In his new project (with a book and CD released together on his Alia Vox label), the viol-player and conductor Jordi Savall pays a tribute to the “prince of humanists”. The starting point of his The Praise of Folly – Erasmus is the fall of Constantinople in 1453, a historic event that stimulated the Renaissance in Europe. Musically, Savall concentrates on works from Erasmus’s time, including both Western and Ottoman court music. Mindful of Erasmus’s thinking, he offers a considered plea for dialogue and tolerance between different cultures.

Jordi Savall: Hespèrion XXI 19/1, 20.00, €16 > 70, Paleis voor Schone Kunsten/Palais des Beaux-Arts, rue Ravensteinstraat 23, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-507.82.00, info@bozar.be, www.bozar.be