This collection of seven songs is inspired by Spanish folk and flamenco music. Each song is representative of a different style or genre, including dances, romances, work, and religious and songs. Spain has a long history of folk music dating back to the Middle Ages; a tradition that is still very much alive today. The music has been influenced by many different cultures over the centuries and has been the inspiration for musicians across the world.
Sevillanas are a type of folk song and associated dance for couples, originating in the nineteenth century. Today they are still very popular, particularly at fiestas and other social events.
Cabaliño is a Galician work song about a young horse, arranged in the style of a flamenco tango. Horses are metaphors. They refer to the meadows where they sowed the cereal to make bread
La Petenera is a combination of two songs in very different styles - a flamenco Petenera from Andalucía and a Mexican son huasteco, a genre that is noteworthy for its flamboyant and virtuoso violin parts.
Saetas are religious songs that are performed at Easter (Semana Santa).
There are many hundreds of versions of the old folk tale Gerineldo, telling the story of love between a Queen and her page boy. This Spanish/Jewish version is over 500 years old, from the time when the Moors ruled over much of the Iberian Peninsula.
Villancico Asturiano is a traditional Christmas carol from Asturias, combined with a setting of a Christmas poem written in the seventeenth century by Robert Herrick for King Charles II of England.
The lyrics from La Tarara are drawn from the poem of the same name by the Spanish poet Federico Lorca, who based his poem on a traditional children´s playground song. La Tarara is a mystical woman who dances around the countryside. The music in this version is in the style of a Tanguillo – a type of flamenco dance from Cadiz.
