Dicen Que Hay Amor

RIVERA ARMONIOSI CONCERTI BLASCO

The seventeenth century was a very dark century for the peninsular kingdoms. Famine, epidemics, and all kinds of miseries seized upon a diminishing and very fragmented population. In spite of the continuous social economical and epistemological crisis and of the imposition of an ideology of domination, Spanish culture had flashes of brilliance. And music was a very important part of that culture, particularly vocal music. It was a vehicle of expression for restrained passions, a music that, at times, sang to disillusionment and deception of the senses, just like the tono that lends its title to this recording. The Tonos selected for this recording coincide with this period, in which theatre performances enjoyed a new boost. While only five tonos can be traced back directly to theatrical sources, the relationship that the rest have with stage performances is quite clear. The sources from which these tonos have been retrieved reflect, in any case, a moment in which music had ceased to be composed for the stage and had become chamber music.

Price: $25.98