For over seven centuries, from 711 to 1492, Spain saw the three great monotheistic religions – Islam, Christianity and Judaism – come face to face and interweave. This coexistence left a deep mark on the cultural life of the Iberian Peninsula, and stands today as a symbol of tolerance and multiculturalism. The music of al-Andalus, like the other arts, underwent Eastern influences. In 822 the musician Zyriab settled in Cordoba, where he introduced the musical tradition of Baghdad and the oud, an instrument depicted in the illuminations of the famous Cantigas de Santa Maria (one of the major sources of 13th-century Spanish Marian music) and which was developed into the Western lute. The Sephardic romances, drawing on both Western courtly models and the Arabo-Andalusian traditions, display an Eastern influence in many of their melodies.

With the present programme, La Roza Enflorese invites you to enjoy an encounter between these three cultures. For over ten years, the ensemble has specialised in the Judaeo-Spanish repertoire, expressing its multiculturalism through interpretations that draw on early, traditional and modern music. For this programme it includes an Iraqi guest musician and returns to sources from the medieval Spain of the ‘three cultures’.

 

Distribution:
Edith Saint-Mard voice
Osama Abdulrasol qanun
Thomas Baeté voice & fiddle
Bernard Mouton recorders
Philippe Malfeyt lute & guitern
Vincent Libert percussions