Pierre Pitzl, Raquel Andueza & Jesús Fernández Baena

Sé que me muero de amor
Mi gotta go - Locura & Tormenti 
El abanico de carey y La Galanía en Vancouver

The EMV concert with La Galanía, soprano Raquel Andueza, the barroque guitarist Pierre Pitzl and Jesús Fernández Baena on a the theorbo this past Friday, January 20 at Christ Church Cathedral was a revelation. At the same time it became a delicious romp of my past with memoris of places where Spanish (castellano in Argentina and español in Mexico) is spoken.

My maternal grandfather, a lawyer in Manila, was a member of the Real Academia Española. My grandmother always would tell me that I had to learn to speak and write Don Tirso's and Cervantes' language well. After having lived in Vancouver in 1975 I sometimes have a trouble keeping up with Spanish. But as we say in Spanish,"Me defiendo."

It was a special concert not only because one half of the program was in Spanish

Don Tirso de Irureta Goyena

but also because I could feel that mischievous take (diablesa or vivesa) in the words of the songs. My grandmother would have said that Anduezea sang with "sal" or salt. 

The sound of the theorbo, especially in its lower registry is one of the most arresting sounds of any musical instrument. Perhaps a bass trombone might compete but certainly not (my humble opinion) a cello.

The usual problem with listening to the wonders of the theorbo (and I must add that baroque guitar) is that these instruments are usually drowned out by the violins of a baroque orchestra.  So this trio delighted me with an intimate sound that made me feel like I was Charles the Fifth in my chambers..

There might have been a few folks who could not understand why so much of the repertoire on Friday had similar melodies. It would seem that La Galanía coincide with this blogger's love for follias and chaconnes of the 17th century. The concert was an eternity of chaconnes and follias , the equivalent, for me, of sitting to the right of the Lord!

 

Best of all was to share the shear pleasure that the trio threw at us with gentle smiles.They were having fun. I had that same pleasure in my personal dealings with them in the sachristy bathroom after the concert.. 

In that bathroom where I took my two shots you will see a lovely fan in one of the photographs. It was my great aunt's, Buenaverntura Gálvez Puig. When she died my grandmother inherited it. It was made of turtle shell and a Filipino cloth calle jusi made from Chinese silk. My great aunt's initials were with dimaonds and emeralds.

María de los Doloree Reyes de Irureta Goyena (my grandmother) y Buenaventura Gálvez Puig

My mother inherited the fan but she was confronted by her sister who also wanted it. In the end my aunt kept the jewels and my mother the fan. My mother had a lovely relation with her aunt Buenaventura who would comb my mother's long hair. She would wince in pain. Buenaventura would tell her that in order to be a woman she had to learn to experience pain. In the end my aunt used the fan's jewels to finance her second divorce. In the scan of the fan on the upper right you might discern the little holes where the stones were.