San Francisco Classical Voice

No one but Savall could have pulled off such a feat. His intimate knowledge of repertoire and performing practices of the period produced a convincing program that added a new dimension to Cervantes' text. To further contextualize the music, narrator Jesús Rodr“guez-Velasco read the corresponding passage in the book (in an English translation) before each piece. Rodr“guez-Velasco's narration became progressively more animated as the evening aged, eliciting much pleasure from the audience.

Many of the pieces were based on simple, repetitive tunes that were treated to endless variations by the instrumentalists, showcasing their improvising skills. One that stuck in my head was the Romance del Conde Claros de Montalbán (The Ballad of Count Claros), in which a tune simpler than Louie, Louie provided the basis for an enchanting tale. The vocalists of La Capella took different roles in this story of a Count who seduces the Infanta. Arianna Savall was a demure Infanta, while her lover was sung by seductive tenor Lluis Vilamajó. Most charming was countertenor David Sagustume, whose enacting of the King showed from the beginning that the story would have a happy ending.

Another catchy number was the anonymous Seguidillas en eco. The seguidilla is a type of racy sung dance that was extremely popular in Cervantes' time. The clever text uses echo effects to change the direction of the poetic line. For example, in the lines “mil enojos — ojos / que a tantos miran,” the repetition turns “a thousand sighs” into “eyes that all the world admires.” The quick, danceable rhythms and lively performance made this a memorable piece, and it was repeated as an encore Saturday night.

Instrumental feats were even more central to Saturday's program. Besides Savall himself, the standout instrumentalist for me was guitarist and vihuelist Xavier Diaz-Latorre. Besides his essential contributions to the ensemble pieces, Diaz-Latorre performed jácaras and canarios by guitarist Gaspar Sanz. These two melodic and harmonic patterns originated in the dance and served as a basis for many instrumental pieces. Sanz included these written-out improvisations in the most comprehensive guitar treatise of its time, first published in 1674. Diaz-Latorre's freewheeling interpretation was accompanied by the percussion stylings of the unforgettable Pedro Estevan. Together, these two masters created an memorable performance, marked by their obvious love for the music and connection with each other.

That essential connection between instruments was also present in Estevan's performance, with harpist Arianna Savall, of Santiago de Murcia's intabulation of a jota, another type of dance piece. The younger Savall is well on her way to becoming one of the finest double-harp performers of our time. Her sensitivity and quick fingers breathed new life into this 18th century composition.

Murcia was one of the many Spanish composers who traveled to Mexico. His music was thus just one part of the story that Saturday's program told of encounters between the Old World and the New. Besides the free exchange of dance forms, New World languages also impacted music. One example on the program was a processional hymn to the Holy Virgin of Quetcha in Peru's native Quechua language. Hanacpachap cussicuinin was printed in a Spanish liturgy book by Juan Pérez Bocanegra in 1631, the first polyphony to be printed on the American continent. It was perhaps composed by a native musician, as musical training was one of Spain's colonizing techniques. The hymn was performed in an appropriately stately manner, with the beautiful imagery of the text elaborately embroidered in fine polyphony.

Portuguese composer Gaspar Fernandes mixed Castilian with the Aztec language Nahuatl in a number of villancicos, one of which was a welcome addition to the program. Tleycantimo choquiliya is a love song to the infant Jesus. The complex rhythms and delightful play amongst voices made for a joyful Nativity indeed. Even more raucous was another villancico for the Nativity by Frei Filipe da Madre da Deus. Because it features an African woman who speaks in a type of creole, the piece belongs to a subgenre known as Negro, Negrilla, or Guineo. These works tend to incorporate what Europeans thought of as typical African dance rhythms. In Madre da Deus' villancico, a drunken black woman is blamed for inducing everyone to drink too much on Christmas Eve. The refrain of “Mucho me duele la cabeza” (My head is aching so) was gasped by each singer to great comic effect. The lively verses and interplay between the performers was delightful.

The connection between song and dance that underlay much of the program was most readily apparent in a baile (literally, “dance”) by José Mar“n called Niña como en tus mudanças (Sweetheart, who in your fickle moods). The ethereal voice of Montserrat Figueras was brought down to earth by the percussive contributions of multitalented Adela González-Campa. González-Campa used her whole body as an instrument, bringing to life the dancing girl of the text, using the claps and footwork associated with flamenco.

With so much music over two exciting nights, it is impossible to detail any more than the highlights. Savall's contributions to the rediscovery of Hispanic music are truly impressive. He has managed, over his long career, to develop a style of performing that is truly convincing. He has also brought together top performers to aid in presenting that work, many of them trained by him. The combination of individual talent, musicianship, and plain and simple love continue to bring this group enthusiastic ovations. Even after three encores on Saturday night, I was eager to hear more. If this is the kind of superb performing that specialization in musical styles brings, then I'm all for it.