Forget sweet little cribs with oxen and straw. In 16th century Spain, Christmas was an explosion of popular joy! Cantoría serves up the tastiest ensaladas for the occasion: polyphonic, ‘mixed salads’ in which languages, styles and melodies are all tossed together. Mateo Flecha took the genre to an unprecedented level: his works are full of theatrical effects, political allusions and references to popular culture. Wars with the Turks, Emperors, Lucifer and Christ all whirl by in a storm of sound and rhetoric. Flashes of big hits, panting rhythms, duelling voices: what begins with appropriate primness ends in theatrical overdrive. With voices, the vihuela, viol, percussion and organ, Cantoría turns this Renaissance hit machine into an explosive Christmas party with historical swagger.
Program
Music by M. Flecha, D. Ortiz, B. Cárceres and others
Performers
Inés Alonso, soprano | Oriol Guimerà, alto | Lluís Arratia, bass | Jeremy Nastasi, vihuela | Marc de la Linde, viol | Iñaki de la Linde, percussion | Marina López, organ | Jorge Losana, tenor & artistic leader