Cántico espiritual de San Juan de la Cruz

In 1982, the philosopher María Zambrano listened to Amancio Prada's Cántico Espiritual. A decade had elapsed since the singer-songwriter from León presented his inaugural musical interpretation of a poem by San Juan de la Cruz, a seminal figure in Spanish literature whose works exemplify the pinnacle of mystical poetry. On that occasion, Prada was accompanied by Eduardo Gattinoni on cello in a France Culture programme, Libre Parcours Récital, which was recorded live at the Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse. Four years later, he premièred the ‘definitive’ version in Segovia, which featured the combined talents of a vocalist, a guitarist, a violinist, and a cellist.

In her writings, María Zambrano observed that "not a single word is lost to us there where it makes itself known privileged in its miraculous present." She noted that the flow of music and poetry is not lost in the beauty, nor is it intoxicated in the voice for an instant. Music and voice are extracted from the poem itself, rather than simply appearing alongside it. As the poet Antonio Colinas, a native of León and a fellow mystic of our literature, has acknowledged, Prada has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to upholding poetry as a genuine, unadulterated phenomenon, without mere mystification. And remains true to the poets. Subsequently, Prada has performed the Cántico in a multitude of formats and iterations across a diverse array of settings, including the Festival Musica Sacra in Maastricht, the Ravenna Festival, the Santander International Festival, the Quincena Donostiarra, and the Ciclo de Cámara y Polifonía at the Auditorio Nacional. And so, it has continued and intensified over time, reaching its current state.

Prada himself acknowledges that Cántico is the work that has given him the greatest joy: “Each time I revisit the work, I encounter new elements that elicit a sense of surprise and emotional resonance. As a result of this work, I have had the privilege of performing on several notable stages, including cloisters, churches, cathedrals, and open-air locations such as squares, halls, and theatres in Spain and abroad. Spaces in which music and words coexist in silence.”

However, Cántico Espiritual was to become one of the most significant and enduring works of the Spanish musician's extensive oeuvre. This is not exclusive to him, although he is particularly noteworthy among his peers. It would be erroneous to assume that the musical output of Cántico represents the entirety of the composer's oeuvre. Indeed, the first part of the recital he brings to the Festival de Otoño demonstrates that there is music beyond Cántico. Furthermore, the collection draws inspiration from the rich literary heritage of Spain, encompassing compositions with lyrics penned by celebrated poets such as Bécquer, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Antonio Machado and Federico García Lorca. The programme includes two of the most celebrated and widely performed songs by the Castilian singer from León, Lelia Doura, by the 13th-century Galician troubadour Pero Eanes Solaz, and Libre te quiero, written by the esteemed professor, poet and visionary Agustín García Calvo.


PROGRAMME

SONGS
JAULA EN EL PECHO (A. Prada)
SAETA (Gustavo A. Bécquer)
ALEGRA, TITIRITERO (Juan Ramón Jiménez)
CIUDAD ENCANTADA (F. G. Lorca)
SONETO DE LA CARTA (F. G. Lorca)
LELIA DOURA (Pero Eanes Solaz)
ANOCHE CUANDO DORMÍA (A. Machado)
ESPÍRITU SIN NOMBRE (Gustavo A. Bécquer)
ORACIÓN REFLEXIVA (A. Prada)
ADIÓS RÍOS, ADIÓS FONTES (Rosalía de Castro)

CÁNTICO ESPIRITUAL
CANCIONES ENTRE EL ALMA Y EL ESPOSO

¿Adónde te escondiste?
¡Oh bosques y espesuras!
Mil gracias derramando
¡Ay!, ¿quién podrá sanarme?
Vuélvete, paloma
Entrado se ha la esposa
¡Oh ninfas de Judea!
La blanca palomica
Gocémonos, amado

Music by Amancio Prada