A program that gives pride to the famous collection of Cantigas de Santa Maria, Galician songs recounting legends and miracles of the Virgin, alternating with Marian songs of the troubadours Guiraut Riquier and Folquet Lunel (longtime present at the Alfonso X king's court) and polyphonies from the exquisite codex Las Huelgas.
The past decade has seen the birth and evolution of so many progressive rock bands that it can be more than a little challenging to keep track of them all. And let’s face it, at this stage in the game it isn’t easy to come up with a band name that hasn’t been taken already. But occasionally a name is able to strike a blend of originality and absurdity such that it also sticks in one’s head and stands out from the rest…
Perhaps there’s a measure of defiance in the title of Merle Haggard’s 2010 album I Am What I Am, but it’s also a statement of plain fact: almost 50 years into a recording career, there’s no changing the fact that Hag is who is he is, and he’s comfortable in his own skin, broken-in but not worn-out, never pushing too hard but never coasting, either. Sometimes Haggard’s easy touch is too light, slipping into sleepiness, but the striking thing about I Am What I Am is its casual mastery, the subtle shading in his vocal phrasing can make his songwriting appear effortless.
Alberto Williams has been described as ‘the grand old man of Argentine music’ and is recognised as one of the founders of an independent musical language for his native country. Williams studied in Paris during the 1880s, and his violin sonatas draw comparisons with his teacher César Franck – their heroic mood reflects the post-Wagnerian grandeur that was popular at the time. The concentrated and passionate interplay between violin and piano in Violin Sonata No. 2 bears comparison with Brahms, while the adventurous and at times experimental Violin Sonata No. 3 is notable for its striking shifts in harmony and dazzling virtuosity.