By: Rachael Jackson Staff Writer
Contralto Dr. Karen Esquivel and her husband, Dr. Gustavo Castro, came to campus to perform Spanish cante flamenco (flamenco singing) and operatic arias, on Tuesday Nov. 10, 2015.
Before performing, the duo gave a presentation of Spain’s history. They painted a picture of a complex history of dictatorships, wars, and the amalgamation of different cultures.
Dr. Castro explained during the presentation that, “Little by little, the popularity of Italian opera killed the chance of local operatic schools becoming the officially sponsored operatic art form by the Spanish court.”
They performed two cante flamencos to begin. “When you think of flamenco, you think of colors,” Dr. Esquivel addressed the singers in the audience. “You have to taste it.”
Throughout their performance, the English translation of the songs were displayed to help the audience understand the meaning of the music.
The first flamenco, “Poema en forma de canciones” by Joaquín Turina and Ramón de Campoamor, had arguably the happiest story of the evening – though it was still of heartbreak and longing, it was dealt with in a tongue-in-cheek manner.
The last movement of the piece, for example, is about the desire to have a short and crazy love rather than a traditional and content one.
While Dr. Esquivel performed, she used facial expressions and body movement to explain the feelings and content of the songs. During one song, she formed her fingers into claws that reached above her to display the anger of the narrator.
In another, she cried out and stood with a hunched back before ending with the lyrics, “Damn love and the one who made me understand it!”
The rest of the night was filled with arias.
They introduced the aria form with a piece from “Els Pirineus” by Felip Pedrell. It is a song is about a woman, Lisa, who has taken on the guise of a soldier so she could be close to the man she loves. Knowing she and the others will die the next day in battle, she sings to the other soldiers to calm their nerves and bring them peace.
The rest of the performance featured songs following the theme of heartbreak, usually with the woman dying at the end of the song. Also typical is the presence of a gypsy woman as the lover to an upper class man or even a royal court member.
Don’t miss the chance to support fellow students in their upcoming recitals this coming week. The first is Friday Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. with senior Kyle Harrington on the euphonium. Check out the schedule on the music department’s website for more performances.
