Carles Magraner is the founder and director of Capella de Ministrers, the early music group that began in 1987 and has become one of the most important in Europe. Thirty-seven years and sixty-seven albums later, the name Capella de Ministrers is associated with quality music, historical accuracy, and seriousness. Recently, they received recognition from the Valencian Council of Culture. We talk with Magraner at the Casa Ayora museum in Almussafes. We asked him to bring the viola da gamba – he prefers to call it a bowed viola – for the photos, and at one point, he tunes it with his fingers and plays it with the bow. He likes the sound of the hall in this stately house, and quickly transports himself to the times when musicians and instruments were elements of war and distinction among different lords. He says he sees himself in the role of a court musician, who could stay and live in the house, and they would surely have given him a horse, which was the first good salary for a court musician.
Carles Magraner interview. Esperança Camps. Vilaweb, 10/01/24. Foto: Prats i Camps