Theodora Baka: mezzo soprano
Alexandros Ioannou: percussion
Theodoros Kitsos: baroque guitars, theorbo, artistic direction
‘Las meninas’: the music behind the canvas
3rd Baroque Music Festival
Thessaloniki Concert Hall (Greece)
23.11.2019
The long reign (1621–1665) of Philip IV was characterised by the political, military and economical decline of Spain and social misery. His reign, however, was also characterised by an incomparable flourishing of letters and arts, as he was a great theatre lover as well as an enthusiastic art collector. Given that, many important writers and artists of the Spanish Golden Age such as Pedro Calderόn de la Barca or Diego Velázquez were employed in his court. But what was the music like in Calderon’s plays or in Velázquez ears when he was creating his masterpieces?
Given Velázquez’s most important work ‘Las meninas’ as a reference frame, the programme is based on works by three composers who, directly or indirectly, provided their services to Philip: Juan Hidalgo, chief composer and leader of the court’s chamber musicians; José Marín, cantor of the royal chapel; and Gaspar Sanz, guitar teacher of Don Juan José de Austria, the illegitimate son of Philip with the actress María Calderόn.
Credits:
Alexandros Seitaridis: projection processing, lighting design
Akis Amanatidis & Costas Mouratidis: camera operation, video editing
Yiannis Angelakis: camera operation, sound recording
Alexandros Ioannou: mastering
