Spain's Hespèrion XXI is noted for its broad exploration of early music from the medieval to the Baroque periods, some of it from Spain and Portugal but also from the rest of Europe and even beyond. The group, often performing with the larger Capella Reial de Catalunya, is regarded as one of Europe's top early music ensembles. Hespèrion XXI was founded in 1974 as Hespèrion XX by viol player Jordi Savall, singer Montserrat Figueras, plucked stringed instrument player Hopkinson Smith, and flutist and percussionist Lorenzo Alpert. Savall has remained the director of the group, which renamed itself Hespèrion XXI at the beginning of the 21st century. By 2023, when Hespèrion XXI was featured with the Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Ensemble Orpheus 21 on the album Oriente Lux: Dialogue des âmes, the group's recording catalog comprised some 50 items.