On the banks of the Guadalquivir River stands Seville’s iconic landmark, the twelve-sided Torre del Oro (tower of gold). For many centuries, the port in front of the Torre del Oro was once the base for Spanish galleons that set sail for South America and returned to Seville laden with treasure. It also symbolizes the lively and enriching networks of exchange between peoples and cultures.
In this concert, Arpeggiata casts open a gilded gateway from the old world into the new. The musical journey begins with the compositions of Alonso Mudarra. The Sevillian composer (1508—1580) ranks among the most important Spanish vihuelists of the 16th century, whose innovations in instrumental and vocal music were so significant that their work is still valued to this day. Mudarra’s works were published in the three-volume collection Tres libros de música en cifra para vihuela in Seville in 1546. Its contents include variations on La Folía, tientos, pavanes, galliards, romanescas, canciones, villancicos and sonetos in Latin, Spanish and Italian, which are among the oldest solo songs with instrumental accompaniment. Following on from this collection, the musical trail takes us to South America, where baroque instruments and melodies are still part of the musical culture and embody a ‘living baroque’ in traditional music.