mcq iberian colours DANZAS, “ “CANCIONES NANAS y

MARIA CAMAHORT VIOLETA GARCÍA LAURA RUHÍ SERGIO SERRA ÁNGEL RETAMERO Our

Mprojectaria Camahort Quintet present it in a new and innovative way, presents IBERIAN COLOURS, merging art music with oral tradition a musical journey to in a unique project. discover the relationship between Spanish MCQ has performed at some classical repertoire and of the most prestigious venues traditional music, sharing in UK, including: Kings Place, with the audience the Southbank Centre, Milton Court, vivid colours, earthy Cervantes Theatre and The Sage. textures and rhythms of Festivals include: London Guitar Spanish musical art. Festival, Edinburgh Guitar Festival, North-East Guitar Festival, Buxton Festival, Festival Francisco Tárrega The Maria Camahort Quintet was (Benicàssim), Clásicos en Verano born in November 2011 out of the (Madrid), Festival Áureo Herrero desire to increase the possibilities in (Ávila), Música a Boqueta Nit chamber music. Guitarist and arranger (Alicante) etc. Maria Camahort leads this project which was created alongside Violeta MCQ’s main aim is to create honest García (voice and violin), Laura Ruhí and beautiful performances, bringing (soprano), Sergio Serra (cello), and to the audience the music, stories, and Ángel Retamero (percussion). flavor that are essential to Spanish music. Both during the arranging The characteristic timbre of the process and during rehearsals, the quintet creates a unique and highly quintet keeps this pursuit in the

original musical experience. They forefront of their minds, always iberian colours approach the chosen repertoire and searching for a way to achieve it. mcq Nuestro proyecto MCQ’s second album se funden entre ellas para formar una DANZAS, CANCIONES Y NANAS nueva sonoridad. brings the quintet’s En su segundo disco Nanas, Canciones original approach to y Danzas, MCQ amplía su proyecto incorporando musica íntegramente traditional music from de raíz popular (canciones sefardíes, around the peninsula, coplas), música de influencia flamenca y as well as music with nuevas composiciones. flamenco influences, works by renowned Spanish MCQ ha actuado en algunas de las composers, and other salas más prestigiosos del Reino Unido: contemporary works. Kings Place, Southbank Centre, Milton Court, Cervantes Theatre y The Sage. Han participado en destacados festivales: Maria Camahort Quintet nace de la London Guitar Festival, Edinburgh Guitar voluntad de crear nuevas posibilidades Festival, North-East Guitar Festival, dentro del mundo de la música de Buxton Festival, Festival Francisco cámara. Maria Camahort (guitarra y Tárrega (Benicàssim), Clásicos en Verano arreglos) crea este proyecto en noviembre (Madrid), Festival Áureo Herrero (Ávila), del 2011 junto a a Violeta García (voz y Música a Boqueta Nit (Alicante) etc. violín), Laura Ruhí (soprano), Sergio Serra (violonchelo) y Ángel Retamero MCQ aspira a hacer de los conciertos (percusión). experiencias bellas en las que se ponga en común el acercamiento genuíno de cada Con el proyecto Iberian Colours, el músico al repertorio, para así proponer quinteto acerca al público obras de al público nuestra vivencia honesta reconocidos compositores de una forma de la musicalidad, historias y sabores realmente original, en la que las tímbricas contenidos en la herencia de compositores propias de la música clásica y popular y tradición musical española. Prelude Suitevicente asenc Valenciana,io

Throughout the 1930s, (1908 – 1979). Asencio can be discerned clearly Valencia experienced a studied in with in his compositions, creative outburst of renewal and in Paris where popular melodies led by Manuel Palau and with Turina and Halffter. appear, ranging from his disciples, under the He composed numerous literal imitation, to a label “Youth Group”. At a orchestral works but was newly cultivated creation, time in which Andalusian particularly attracted to in line with the advanced regionalism was dominant, guitar music. He founded nationalism of the Palau and the “Youth Group” the Castelló de la Plana twentieth century. sought inspiration in his Conservatoire and was own Valencian roots. The professor at the Valencia “Youth Group” introduced Conservatoire. themselves with the publication of a manifesto for Asencio’s compositions a nationalist musical revival. had thematic and melodic Soon after, Valencia became inspiration in popular the capital of the Second Valencian music, as well Republic (1936 -1937), and as harmonisation and developed into a very active impressionistic textures. The cultural movement. popular Valencian element One of the members of the “Youth Group” was composer

mcq iberian colours We aspire to the realization of a vigorous and rich Valencian musical art (…) which brings into universal music the subtleties and the emotions of our people and landscape. (…)

However, it is not enough to write works. There is a need for an environment that welcomes them and feels them as its own. This requires (...) the utmost interest (...) from the provincial cultural corporations. (…)

Manifest del Grup dels Joves (1934) (Vicent Garcés, Lluís Sánchez, Emili Valdés, Ricard Olmos, Vicent Asencio) ditionalהקינרֺומMorenikasephardic tra Sephardic music has its lyrics, but the original skinned” women are roots in the traditions of melodies and rhythms common in Sephardic the Jewish communities have been lost. Instead, repertoire and in in medieval and the music has adapted songbooks from the Portugal. Since then, it to each of these areas, Spanish Renaissance. has picked up influences assimilating North In Spanish folklore, from Morocco, Turkey, African ululations, “whiteness” is associated Greece, Bulgaria and Balkan rhythms and the with purity, while other places where Arabic maqam mode. “darkness” is associated Spanish and Portuguese with the spice of life. Jews settled after their Morenika is one of the Ladino songs reflect the expulsion from Spain most popular Sephardic Spanish attitude of “dark” in 1492 and from wedding songs, usually piquancy as opposed Portugal in 1496. sung during the bridal to angelic “whiteness”. processions to the In many of these songs These song traditions groom’s house. This there is also an implicit spread to Morocco Ladino song derives from sense that such women (Western Tradition) a Spanish renaissance were of lesser status… and several parts folksong about a Moorish …this is the case of of the Ottoman girl, which in turn was Morenika, a beautiful Empire (Eastern inspired by the biblical song that MCQ started Tradition). Nowadays “sh’charchoret” (“dark performing thanks to a Sephardic communities girl” in Jewish tradition). collaboration with oboist share many of the same Songs about “dark- Clara Pérez Sedano. m.quiroga, s. valverde verdes r. de león הקינרֺומ Both sides of the Civil War had coplas escape her grim daily reality into the rich Ojosin common. They were for the people a poetic world of her own internal self. cathartic expression of their longings, their cry for freedom, victory and celebration The range of references to light, colour and of life. In the ‘40s the fascist state begun taste communicate the complexity of her to use copla to exalt the national values of feelings. The evocative music suggests hidden the regime. They made it the token song meanings that no censor could remove (for of a hermetic, purely Spanish, folklore. example in the instrumental interlude).

Somehow, the copla genre managed to There is no set way to interpret coplas. The keep its soul and survive, with a kind of origin of the genre is subject to debate. It sophisticated double discourse. Franco is related to the 18th poetic Spanish form imposed censorship on lyrics (in Ojos called copla. These were poems which Verdes, “mancebía” -brothel-, was replaced quickly became popular and started to be with “casa mía”). Nevertheless, copla still sung. In both cases the poet/composer’s told the stories of the oppressed. It became authorship fades in the oral tradition. the genre of secret dreams and identities. Significantly, drag artists played an essential This version of Ojos Verdes was created in role in its rebirth in the Spain of Democracy. 2009, the first collaboration between Violeta García and Maria Camahort. Violeta knows Ojos Verdes presents in a self-contained copla through the women in her family from narrative the intimate memories of a León. In Ojos Verdes, Violeta incorporates woman. As woman and sex-worker, labelled some of the elements of her mother’s way of as ignorant and depraved, she dares to singing it, her main and most valued source. el Maquispopular from galicia / León / asturias Galicia and León were The Federation of Guerillas of León-Galicia was among the regions where formed in ‘42 in Ferradillo, bringing toghether the fascist military fighters from Galicia, León and Asturias. It was uprising first spread at the first guerilla group after the Civil War and the the start of the Civil most important organised resistance against fascist War. To save their lives domination in Spanish territory. many civilians fled the cities to the mountains Its strengths were: the solid support and cover where, if nothing else, the provided by many villages and individuals (the so- isolation, the vegetation called “enlaces”), their knowledge of the territority, and the terrain would and the ideological diversity and explicit rejection protect them. The of any political proselytism amongst them. Guerilla “escapados” were soon organisations that formed after ‘44 in other regions joined by others, starting took it as a model. guerilla warfare in the mountains and becoming This song is a call to arms and for unity among the part of what turned guerrillas. The starting point for this version of the out to be a nationwide song was the ‘a capella’ voice of Manuel Zapico, an phenomenon, the “Maquis” Asturian who also created this melody & lyric. This movement. is another example of oral Spanish popular music & poetry, similar to copla in that whoever sings one of these songs was knowingly letting it go into the realm of popular collective memory & imagination.

mcq iberian colours por la libertad deEspaña. por libertad la emprenderY allí el despliegue concentración enLaviana. Guerrilleros, guerrilleros, por libertad! la Todos juntos combate al de Gredos ydeNavarra. Catalanes ydel A.G.L.A., extremeños ymanchegos, Guerrilleros andaluces, región la toda berciana. admirar podréis Y allí subid Alto al Laviana. guerrilleros, guerrilleros, si queréis ver Ponferrada, Guerrilleros, guerrilleros, deEspaña. por libertad la Todos juntos combate al de Ancares ydeLaciana. D del Bierzo Cabrera. ydela Guerrilleros deGalicia, Confederación de guerrillas León-Galicia Confederación guerrillas de e Santander ydeAsturias,

el Maquis NegraRosalíaSombra de Castro, Juan Montés Capón Negra Sombra (Black shadow) is literature and an early advocate of one of the most relevant poems women’ s rights. from Galician writer Rosalía de Her poetry has a tone of personal Castro (1837-1885), one of the confession that brings it closer voices that represent Galician to contemporary poetry. The Contemporary History. shadow, a constant motif in the poetry of Rosalía, has been the Rosalia’s patriotism is united with object of different interpretations: her constant worry for women’s rhetorical elements inherited from condition and fate, which is a romanticism, symbolic shadows and central topic throughout her work. personal shadows. In Negra Sombra, Highly educated, and expected the shadow becomes the symbol of to write in Spanish only, she the author’s painful existence. took the unconventional step of writing poems in the Galician This poem became one of the most language, which she learnt from emblematic Galician ballads when her nursemaid. Her feminism is composer Juan Montés (1840- correlative to her vital, philosophic 1899), contemporary of Pedrell, and political position in life. In fused it with an alalá, a melody that brief, she was one of the leading is sung by the mountaineers of the figures in Galician and Spanish Northwest of A Coruña.

mcq iberian colours Cando penso que te fuches, negra sombra que me asombras, ó pé dos meus cabezales tornas facéndome mofa.

Cando maxino que es ida, no mesmo sol te me amostras, i eres a estrela que brila, i eres o vento que zoa.

Si cantan, es ti que cantas, si choran, es ti que choras, Sombra i es o marmurio do río i es a noite i es a aurora.

En todo estás e ti es todo, pra min i en min mesma moras, nin me deixaras ti nunca, sombra que sempre me asombras.

Rosalía de Castro Negra mcq iberian colours Dos Poemesmiquel martí i pol, maria camahort

Miquel Martí i Pol (1929 - 2003) would accompany him for more is one of the most popular Catalan than thirty years, multiple sclerosis. poets and writers from the 20th Century. He is the author of one The poems Deserta el fosc and of the best-sellers of Catalan l’Espai de mi describe the feelings literature, Estimada Marta (1978). of melancholy, sadness and sorrow His poems have been translated, with heartening clarity, purely among other languages, to Spanish, embracing them as elements of Portuguese, German, English, love and life. Profoundly inspired Italian, Flemish, Slovenian, by Martí i Pol’s approach, Maria Bulgarian, Russian, and Japanese. Camahort decided to compose the music for these two poems. His poetry describes his inner life, narrates the fight against a system Songs for soprano and guitar that he considers unfair, and relates Deserta el fosc and L’Espai de mi the battle against the disease that were created during winter 2015. Deserta el fosc miquel martí i pol, maria camahort Deserta el fosc, i que et sigui la pena com un espai secret de tu mateix des d’on tot és insòlitament digne.

No l’enyor que marceix, sinó el cabal de serenor, la solitud entesa com un estar en les coses per comprendre’n les mudances, els ritmes, la bellesa.

Així el dolor no crema ni resseca i en el silenci hi trobes l’harmonia que semblava trencada ja per sempre. Deserta el fosc, surt a la llum i viu.

L’Espai de mi Vetlla l’espai de mi que et configura i així sabràs que mai no s’interposa entre tu i jo cap llei de melangia.

No et recordo enyorós: t’estimo en una dimensió de mi que no sabia potser perquè el teu cos me l’ocultava.

Ara m’atardo amb tu sense tenir-te Dos Poemes pels blaus i verds lentíssims de la tarda i pels ocres tendríssims del poema.

Miquel Martí i Pol mcq iberian colours Corrandes pered’exili quart, lluís llach

Pere Quart (1899-1986) symbolises the Pere Quart wrote a first version of image of the poet who struggles and Corrandes d’exili just after walking the fights to make his voice heard. He began Pyrenean crest, in Paris on December 2, his production before the Spanish Civil 1939. The final version was published by war, took part in the combats and lived the author in 1947 in Santiago de Chile. in exile in Paris (after the occupation of In 1984 singer-songwriter Lluís Llach Barcelona by Franco’s troops in 1939), composed the music for this poem and and in Santiago de Chile (after the Nazi it became a symbolic song in occupation of Paris in 1940). and surroundings.

Pere Quart’s poetry describes the existence The poem narrates the moment in which of the poet embracing himself in the Pere Quart crosses the Pyrinees to historical reality that he has experienced. arrive to France, describing feelings of When he returned to Catalonia (1948), hopelessness, anger, love and sadness. his work acquires a more transcendental This arrangement tries to reflect tone for the pain of exile, the anger and the musically the powerful images described concern for death. in the song. pere quart, lluís llach Una nit de lluna plena En ma terra del Vallès tramuntàrem la carena, tres turons fan una serra, Una nit de lluna plena... lentament, sense dir res... quatre pins un bosc espès, Si la lluna feia el ple cinc quarteres massa terra. també el féu la nostra pena. «Com el Vallés no hi ha res.» Que els pins cenyeixin la cala, L’estimada m’acompanya l’ermita dalt del pujol; de pell bruna i aire greu i a la plana un tenderol (com una Mare de Déu que batega com una ala. que han trobat a la muntanya). Una esperança desfeta, Perquè ens perdoni la guerra, una recança infinita, que l’ensagna , que l’esguerra. i una pàtria tan petita Abans de passar la ratlla, que la somio completa. m’ajec i beso la terra i l’acarona amb l’espatlla. Pere Quart A Catalunya deixí el dia de ma partida mitja vida condormida; l’altra meitat vingué amb mi per no deixar-me sens vida.

Avui en terres de França i demà més lluny potser, no em moriré d’enyorança ans d’enyorança viuré. mcq iberian colours Cantares Robert Gerhard Catalan composer Robert Gerhard would introduce collection in London, Gerhard (1896-1970) schönberian music in seven songs written for studied piano with Spain. Gerhard, identified voice and guitar, bringing Granados and composition with the Republican cause his popular essence. with musicologist Felipe throughout the Spanish “El Toro” (“The Bull”) Pedrell, the man who Civil War, was forced to describes one of the inspired Granados, flee to France in 1939, most Iberian clichés: the Albéniz and Falla to take and years later settled cruel, fiercely buzz of the their clue from native in Cambridge, England. bull killing in the plaza. Spanish music. For many years, Gerhard “El Galán y Su Morena” He also studied with cultivated an enormously (“The Gentleman and dodecaphonism composer enriched modern his brunette”), is coloured Arnold Schonberg Spanish-folk sound in his by a mysterious danger of in Vienna and Berlin compositions. In 1957 he a woman being watched (1923-1928). Years later, released his “Cantares” from the distance. Spanish Popularsongs

Manuel de Falla (1876 –1946), began to be pre-existing Spanish melodies. This cycle interested about traditional Spanish music features songs from different regions of when he became a student of Felipe Pedrell Spain, and while the texts are authentic folk in lates 1890s. The influence of traditional material, the melodies are often varied and music, particularly Andalusian flamenco, can the accompaniment treated even more freely, be strongly felt in many of his works. A few in the “Impressionist” style of the time. years after meeting Felipe Pedrell, Falla moved to Paris, where he met a number of composers Written in Paris and first performed in who had an influence on his style, including Madrid in 1915, these songs have remained the impressionists Ravel, Debussy and Dukas. so popular as to have overshadowed most of his other vocal works. One of its most Despite the undeniable traditional flavour of popular transcriptions is the one for most of de Falla’s music, The Seven Spanish voice and guitar created by his friend and Folksongs is one of the few to directly use collaborator Miguel Llobet.

mcq iberian colours Rio ángel retamero

Ay… Grande, Tran y tran y traiá

Ay calentando en la fragua, sál por la puerta y vete Málaga es cantaora, en la fragua calentando No me hagas más de sufrir, Córdoba mora y romana. las esposas que me condenan no me seas mala mujer. Ay plateada es Jaén del amor que estoy penando. Tu pare no se rebela y Almería es dorada. si le cuentas tu querer. Mi Huelva es fandanguera Y ahora que yo soy yunque y Sevilla mi gitana. penitas vienen a palos, A la orillita del río Tiene los acaí morenos, tirititrando de frío ay cuantas veces te he cantao. flamenca bonita por lo que estoy pasando. Los suspiritos que yo daba con arte le dicen Triana. que la corriente se los ha llevao. Quiero amanecer Ay! junto a tí, Ángel Retamero prima abreme la ventana. Que mi gitana es como Cádiz, Que mis ojos puedan verte ay de salada claridad. esa cara tan gitana. Que mi gitana es como Cádiz, de salada claridad. Si tu pare no me quiere, ay Y en la sangre lleva agua, Si tu pare no me quiere, agüita culta de Graná. yo sé que tú me camelas, Nana y danza delángel aire retamero ángel retamero Rio Grande Grande (Great River) was originally composed Nana y danza by Ángel Retamero for Symphony orchestra, flamenco singer and flamenco percussionist in 2015, Nanadel Airey Danza del Aire was and adapted for Maria Camahort Quintet in 2017. composed in October 2016 in This piece aims to embrace all the different Havana (Cuba) especially for the flamenco rhythms (palos) from each Andalusion Maria Camahort Quintet, and province, same as the river Guadalquivir does with premiered in London in 2017. The the different cities of this region. It’s formed by the first movement describes with sections: Introduction, Martinete, Tango, Soleá, the melodies of the cello and the Soleá por Bulerías and Bulerías. soprano the singing of a mother to her son in the cradle, who can’t The piece begins with an instrumental intro that sleep due to the wind outside takes us to the first palo, Martinete. With the rhythm (instrumental rhythmic passages). of Seguiriya, the singing begins - slow and intimate The second movement, written in - to later contrast with a cheerful tango in which the the palo of Bulerias, is very rhythmic voice dialogues with the ensemble. The next palo and energetic. It describes the dawn is Solea, a lento instrumental passage that leads of that same night, a summer into Solea por Bulerias (same rhythm but higher sunrise in the Andalusia with the tempo) where the dialogue between ensemble and wind of the Sahara. It is a hot sunrise voices reappears. An accelerando leads into the with bright light, filled with a joy Buleria, keeping the dialogue between voices and and positivity that the annoying air instruments, and returning to the main theme in a fails to persuade. Finale with the whole quintet por Bulerias.

mcq iberian colours With Thanks Gracias

for helping us to create anTo amazing Montse CD design Gomisby using her paintings and papers.

Alsobeloved Julia mothers Lopez of two of us, and for their Ma beautiful Cecilia paintings and Alejandro drawings.

who is aboutA specialto be a fabulous mention father. We would to like Pablo to dedicate Dominguez ‘Nana’ from Manuel de Falla, to him. He has been one of the pilars in this project of ours. To Irene Celestino! To London. To Barcelona and Madrid.

To Girona,To the people, Castello to their traditions, and Sevilla.... to their culture. mcq iberian colours

Guitar & Arrangements Maria Camahort

Violin & Voice Violeta García

Soprano Laura Ruhí

Cello Sergio Serra

Percussion Ángel Retamero

Art Montse Gomis, Julia López, Ma Cecilia Alejandro

Design Puy Ribes

Engineer Javier Salvador