2023-12-13 20:30:56
Música Antiga de Girona will revive the music of the Girona convents of the 17th and 18th centuries in its traditional Christmas concert. The recital, planned for this Sunday at seven in the afternoon in the Auditori de la Mercèwill recover compositions from the archive of the Cathedral of Girona and attributed to orders made by some of the thirteen convents that existed in the city.
“The cathedral had a monopoly on music in the city of Girona and acted as a concert hall, and for this reason it is not clear whether the scores commissioned by the convents were performed in those spaces or in the temple”, points out the president of Música Antiga de Girona, Jaume Pinyol, about musical documents that contain little information apart from the title, the number of voices and, in some cases, the date.
Total, there will be ten pieces with texts in Latin and Spanish on very diverse topics, from the celebration of the patron saint of a convent to the entry of novices into some female convents of Girona’s high society.
Sunday’s concert includes scores in chamber music format, for four voices. The music is all vocal and it was composed by the capella masters of the time such as Soler, Gaz or Arquimbau who signed, or not, the scores depending on certain circumstances.
“Since they had exclusivity with the temple, it was common for them to work for the convents without signing, this explains why there is so much anonymous work in the archive and that much can be attributed to convent commissions”, continues Pinyol.
In this sense, it stands out that among the thirteen convents of the time, there were some with a lot of music, like the Dominicanswho commissioned compositions for the processions in honor of the blessed Dalmau Moner or the Jesuits, for Saint Francis.
Others, such as the Capuchins, did few commissions for their vow of radical poverty, while the Discalced Carmelites inspired many texts. Of the Cistercian nuns of Santa Clara, which for a time were a convent for the Girona nobility and upper bourgeoisie, three scores have been preserved presented by girls for the vote, one of which, signed by Maestro Josep Gaz , will be performed at the concert.
The works in the program are all unpublished and show the city’s musical evolution from the ancient style of the 17th century to classicism at the end of the s. XVIII The oldest are litanies composed by Francesc Soler and the most recent, a piece in Latin possibly commissioned by the Franciscans for Saint John, undated, signed by Arquimbau, chapel master of Torroella de Montgrí who arrived in Girona in 1785.
The performers will be the sopranos Laia Frigolé and Lorena Garcia, the countertenor Hugo Bolivar and the tenor David Hernández, while Dani Regincós will be on the cello, Albert Bosch on the lute and Marc Díez on the organ and conducting. As usual, one hour before the concert there will be a conference to contextualize the pieces and the recital will be recorded.
Vespers of Arnadí in Sant Feliu
Sunday’s concert will not be the only recital organized by Música Antiga de Girona this Christmas. The prestigious Vespres d’Arnadí baroque orchestra directed by Dani Espasa will perform on Friday 22nd at the Basilica of Sant Feliu, with a program of Christmas works from the Italian and English Baroque that present an evolution of the concerti grossi, with pieces by Corelli, Scarlatti, Handel and Geminiani.
In both cases, tickets, for 15 euros, can be bought on the entrapolis website and at Empúries bookstore in Girona.
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