2022
La maledizione!
2022 Season of the Luis Mariano Lyric Association - CC Amaia (Irun) - 26-27/03/2022, 19:00
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RIGOLETTO (melodrama in tre atti) - Music: Giuseppe Verdi - Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave
Rigoletto: MARZIO GIOSSI // Duca di Mantova: JOSÉ LUIS SOLA // Gilda: SCILLA CRISTIA NO // Maddalena: VALERIA GRUPPI // Sparafucile: MASSIMILIANO CATELLANI // Giovanna: LUCÍA GÓMEZ // Monterone: MIKEL ZABALA // Marullo: JUAN LABORERÍA // Borsa: IKER CASARES // Ceprano: DARÍO MAYA // Contessa di Ceprano: MARÍA MA RTÍN // Borsa: IKER CASARES // ERAGIYOK Abesbatza // Luis Mariano Orchestra // Stage direction: Ana Tebar // Musical direction: Aldo Salvagno
After two years of comings and goings due to the pandemic, which inevitably alternated between cancellations and performances adapted to the restrictions of each moment, opera "under normal conditions" returned to Irun with one of the emblematic titles of the repertoire, Rigoletto, part of the popular trilogy by Giuseppe Verdi.
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Three protagonists at a high level
The staging presented a practically unique setting, which served as a ducal palace, courtyard and interior of Rigoletto's house, and Sparafucile's inn.
Marzio Giossi, Rigoletto, showed the many faces of the character: ironic and mocking, scourge of the guests at the Duca's party; fearful and frightened, when he does not want it to be discovered that he has a daughter; thirsty for revenge and disconsolate when he is aware of his daughter's sacrifice.
For her part, the soprano Scilla Cristiano showed an elegant Gilda in all her passages, elegantly resolving the most compromising parts, and involved in showing all sides of her character.
José Luis Sola showed an arrogant Duca at the beginning, skilful and trickster in the courtship; and fearful and desperate when he thinks he is losing Gilda. In the musical part, he showed the quality of his voice and showed why he has performed on many of the great Spanish stages. His solo performances in Questa o quella and La donna è mobile, always eagerly awaited, did not disappoint.
Moments of brilliance for the choir
Rigoletto brings together no less than half a dozen fragments that are well known to the general public. It is also a score that treats the choir very well, which has a major role from the very beginning of the work and is more than a mere commentator: it is fully involved in the action. As well as singing, it must interact and accompany the characters throughout the work, which it did despite being weighed down by one of the last vestiges of the pandemic still in force at the time, the obligation to sing with a mask.
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Thus, it was possible to hear and see it intervention in the first act, participating in the feast offered by the Ducca. One of the most engaging passages comes in the scene of Gilda's abduction, when the choir enters stealthily, murmuring sotto voce Ziti, zitti. The beginning of the third act holds another of the great moments for it, when they announce in Duca, Duca that Rigoletto's supposed mistress has been abducted.
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Finally, in the storm scene before the fatal denouement Verdi involves the choir in the action, even though it is out of sight of the audience. In a complicated bocca chiusa number the ascents and descents up and down the stave simulate the wind, accompanied by the trills of the orchestra. The choir resolved all its interventions with distinction, in collaboration with maestro Salvagno's always attentive direction.
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Review and public success
The audience, still shy of returning to indoor performances, filled the seats of the Amaia to about two thirds of their capacity. They applauded and cheered the participants at the end of the evening, a sign of the success of a performance that left a Rigoletto to remember, Marzio Giossi, and in which ERAGIYOK came out more than successful according to the audience's reaction and the comments received.
Chantons, mes chers amis!
Tribute to Pablo Sorozabal on the 125th anniversary of his birth - Teatro Victoria Eugenia (San Sebastián) - 24/06/2022, 19:30
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BANDA MUNICIPAL DE TXISTULARIS DE SAN SEBASTIÁN: Hirugarren kalez kale // Bi euskal dantza // Zortziko de las bateleras || ERAGIYOK & TXISTULARIS: Bigarren kalez kale // Chantons, mes chers amis !: I. Begi urdin; II. Ürzo luma; III. Kanta berri // Euskalerria || MENDI ABESBATZA & TXISTULARIS: Neskatxena: I. Neskatxena; IV. Txiki txikitik // Baserritarra // Bentara noa // Maite || CHOIRS & TXISTULARIS: Gabiltzan kalez kale // Donostia // Gernika ||ENCORE - DON MANOLITO: Ensalada Madrileña
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CONDUCTORS: Eneko Amundarain (ERAGIYOK) // Ion Irazoki (Mendi Abesbatza) // Fausti Aranzabal (Kresala Dantza Taldea) // Jose Ignazio Ansorena (Banda Municipal de Txistularis de San Sebastián)
In 2022, the 125th anniversary of the birth of Pablo Sorozabal was celebrated and ERAGIYOK made the anniversary one of the main axes of its annual programming, reaching its climax with the concert at the Victoria Eugenia Theater on 24 June.
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Sorozabal maintained a close relationship with the choirs and composed for the best ensembles of his time: Orfeón Donostiarra, Coro Maitea, Coro Easo... In addition, he was the creator of a new genre unknown until then, born from the union of txistu and choir.
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This part of his catalogue was the subject of the third concert of the cycle organised by Donostia Musika, and it was the turn of ERAGIYOK. Together with the Banda Municipal de Txistulasris of San Sebastian and Mendi Abesbatza, and accompanied by the choreographies of Kresala Dantza Taldea, they offered a programme divided into four parts.
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Several passages stood out in the performance of the txistularis individually and together with Mendi Abesbatza. Zortziko de las bateleras with the participation of Kresala Dantza Taldea, or the two extracts from the Neskatxena suite selected by Mendi Abesbatza were very beautiful. Sorozabal's skill in his approach to popular melodies was evident.
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ERAGIYOK's intervention began with Bigarren kalez kale . The maestro himself versioned this kalejira for the group of male voices Los Bocheros, to be performed with accordion. In this case, the accompaniment of the group of txistularis came thanks to the adaptation made by Jose Ignazio Ansorena. Then came the three parts of the suite Chantons, mes chers amis! As Sorozabal himself wrote when he composed the work, in this suite the male choir must show all its virtues. The performance was rounded off by singing to one of his loves, the Basque Country, in the beautiful cantata of the same name, Euskal Herria.
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A vibrant finale
To finish, there was a joint performance by all the participants with more than one hundred members including singers, txistularis and dantzaris. The joyful Gabiltzan kalez kale and Donostia gave way to one of his most symbolic works: Gernika. Sorozabal's music and Nemesio Etxaniz's lyrics were combined in a moving and solemn performance that gave the audience goose bumps.
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Changing register, and to be able to listen to other types of melodies highly appreciated by the public, the program was completed by way of an encore with an extract from the sainete Don Manolito, the well-known Ensalada madrileña, which brought a wonderful evening to a close.
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Sorozabal deserved it!
Cant'A Choeur Festival
16e Festival Cant'A Choeur - Cathédrale Notre-Dame (Dax, France) - 08/07/2022, 20:30
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Otche nash (N. Kedrov) // Otoya (M. Moreno) // Agur, Maria (P. Aldave) // Zatoz, Jaungoiko (S. Salaberri) // Ave, Maria (J. Guridi) // Kitolis (L . Aramburu) // Ama (Aita Donostia) // Nere maitiarentzat (J. J. Santesteban) // Maitasun atsekabea (J. Guridi) // Saratarra (JM Glez. Bastida) // Euskalerria (P. Sorozabal) Maite, eguzki eder (P . Sorozabal) Maitia, nun zira? (J. Uruñuela) // Aurtxoa seaskan (G. Olaizola) // Agur, jaunak (J. Olaizola)
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16e Festival Cant'A Choeur - Abbaye d'Arthous (Hastingues, France) - 09/07/2022, 20:30
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Agur, Maria (P. Aldave) // Kitolis (L. Aramburu) // Maitasun atsekabea (J. Guridi) // Nere maitiarentzat (J. J. Santesteban) // Aurtxoa seaskan (G. Olaizola) // Bozkhe velykyi, yedynyi (M . Lysenko) // Se canti (popular song of Occitania)
The Cant'A Choeur festival was created in 1989. After a year of hiatus due to the pandemic, its 16th edition was held in 2022 between 2 to 9 July. Performing together with ERAGIYOK were the male voice group TuttoVoce from Segovia (Spain), the white voice choir Polyfemma from Bourg d'Oisans (France), the mixed voice choir Choeur & Co from Saint André de Seignanx (France) and the organizer Lous Gaouyous.
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Sacred music and Basque music in Dax
ERAGIYOK gave its first concert in the cathedral of the capital of the Landes. At the request of the Diocese of Dax, the first part of the program consisted of sacred music. In the second part of the concert it became clear that the atmosphere among the audience was growing. Despite being outside the Basque Country, the Basque repertoire is widespread in the area due to the influence of the Basque French choirs, and there are also many Basques of origin who live in the region.
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The first encore, Maitia, nun zira? brought the solo debut of Pablo Benavente. In the next one, Aurtxoa seaskan, the soloist's tender performance brought tears to the audience's eyes. A solemn Agur, jaunak, a piece known to almost everyone present, put an end to a concert in which the audience bid farewell to ERAGIYOK with an endless round of applause.
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All choirs participating in Arthous
The following day, the inner courtyard of Arthous Abbey brought together all the choirs in a great closing concert that attracted 500 people. Each group performed a sample of their repertoire. Among all, the international melodies of Polyfemma and the boleros and tangos of TuttoVoce stood out, all of them followed closely by the public.
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When it was ERAGIYOK's turn, echoes of the previous day's performance had reached the ears of many of the attendees, and the expectation to see the choir perform was great.
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This curiosity was immediately satisfied, and each song was rewarded by evident signs of approval, applause and the occasional "Bravo!", even more noticeable after Kitolis, Nere maitiarentzat and Aurtxoa seaskan, repeating the success of the previous day.
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Solidarity and friendship
The concert came to an emotional end when all the choirs sang Bozhe velykyi, yedynyi by Mykola Lysenko, the prayer for Ukraine composed at the end of the 19th century and which had spread all over the world at the beginning of the year. Along with it was heard, as usual at the festival, the popular song of friendship par excellence in Occitania, Se canti: "Se canti, you que canti, canti pas per you, canti per l'amigue qui es auprès de you" (If I sing, I do not sing for myself, but for the friend who is far away).
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An unbeatable way to close a beautiful weekend, with the hope of meeting up again with recently met friends in the future.
Rencontes Internationales de Voix d'Hommes
5es Rencontres Internationales de Voix d'Hommes - Théâtre de Châtel-Guyon (Châtel-Guyon, France) - 07/10/2022, 20:30
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Agur zaharra (S. Salaberri) // Ave, Maria (J. Guridi) // Ama (Aita Donostia) // Kanta berri (P. Sorozabal) // Euskalerria (P. Sorozabal) // Maite, eguzki eder (P. Sorozabal) // DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE: O Isis und Osiris (W. A. Mozart) // I PURITANI: Quando la tromba squilla (V. Bellini) // RIGOLETTO: Zitti, zitti, moviamo a vendetta (G. Verdi) // FAUST: Choeur des soldats (C. Gounod) // Nere maitiarentzat (J. J. Santesteban) // Aurtxoa seaskan (G. Olaizola) // CHANTON PIPERRI: Euskalerriko semiak gera (B. Zapirain)
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5es Rencontres Internationales de Voix d'Hommes - Théâtre de Châtel-Guyon (Châtel-Guyon, France) - 08/10/2022, 17:00
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Otche nash (N. Kedrov) // Elurra (S. Jaroff) // Vechernij zvon (S. Jaroff) // Ey, ukhnem! (S. Jaroff) // Agur, Maria (S. Salaberri) // Kitolis (L. Aramburu) // Boga, boga (J. Guridi) // Maitasun atsekabea (J. Guridi) // Illunabarra (R. Sarriegi) // Ator, mutil (J. Guridi)
ERAGIYOK was a complete success and left an indelible mark in terms of the audience's response to the two concerts, as well as the messages of congratulations received after the end of the festival.
This was the second international event of the year, and it had all the desirable ingredients: performing abroad, sharing the bill with the famous King's Singers...
In addition, it had prepared a new repertoire to premiere at this festival since, at the request of the organisers, it had to present two different programmes combining different styles: Basque music, international music and lyrical repertoire.
The novelties came in the latter part with the addition of four opera choruses to the repertoire.
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Opening concert stars
The festival began with the grand concert given by the organiser Voix Dômes and ERAGIYOK. The host selected a varied repertoire for their performance, starting with the Air du toréador from Bizet's opera Carmen, and inserting several well-known songs (e.g. Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah or Simon and Garfunkel's The sound of silence).
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Finally, they included a curious combination of the Hallelujah from Handel's Messiah and the black spiritual When the Saints go marching in. Singing in front of their audience, success was assured, and there was still a chance to hear one more song, the well-known May we never have to say goodbye.
Next came the turn of ERAGIYOK. The work of the choir was well appreciated throughout the concert by the audience, and the works by Sorozabal and the opera excerpts made the atmosphere crescendo. Thus, song by song both the choir and pianist Miren Gabirondo were treated to applause until the theatre almost collapsed with the final Choeur des soldats. Still, the highlight of the evening came at the end of the official programme. The choir offered two additional songs, given the ovation and the desire of the audience. After each of the encores, the reaction grew louder and louder, so that the choir had to perform one last song, the vibrant Euskalerriko from the opera Chanton Piperri, after which the audience sent ERAGIYOK off with a standing ovation.
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Confirmation of expectations
The level shown by the choir on the first night made the audience wait expectantly for the second day's concert. In an a cappella performance, the spotlight fell on some of the choir's emblematic pieces, such as Elurra, Kitolis and Illunabarra. Before the last piece, the member of ERAGIYOK who acted as presenter thanked the audience for their warm welcome and proceeded to explain the meaning of the last song, Ator, mutil, and why it was a very special song for the choir. With the theatre submerged in a sepulchral silence, the magic of Jesús Guridi's carol had its effect.
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Although the audience was once again insistent in asking for more music, due to scheduling issues it was time for Choeur de Candy. The Swiss performed a sample of some typical songs from their region that dealt with universal themes, in a performance that was very enjoyable.
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A treat for the senses
With the feeling of a job well done, came a small treat with the opportunity to listen to The King's Singers. The group, with a world-wide reputation, marvelled us with their characteristic sound and the precision of their singing. An unforgettable evening.
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Unexpected last appearance
Although it was not planned, ERAGIYOK had the opportunity to perform for the last time on the third day. At the request of the host choir, it accompanied from the stage with the Choeur des soldats. Not only that, but both choirs had to encore the piece at the end of the concert, which constituted an unbeatable end to these international meetings, in which the spectators highlighted ERAGIYOK's musicality, the quality of its voices and its ability to move the audience.
C'est elle, notre fille !
2022 Season of the Luis Mariano Lyric Association - CC Amaia (Irun) - 12/11/2022, 19:00
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LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT (opéra comique en deux acts) - Music: Gaetano Donizetti - Libretto: Saint-Georges & Bayard
Marie: PAULA SÁNCHEZ-VALVERDE // Tonio: HARUO KAWAKAMI // Sulpice: PABLO LÓPEZ // Marquise: MAELA VERGNES // Hortensius: GORKA ROBLES // Caporal: DARÍO MAYA // ERAGIYOK Abesbatza // Luis Mariano Choir and Orchestra // Stage direction François Iturbide // Musical direction: Aldo Salvagno
An entertaining performance of La fille du régiment brought the 19th season of the Asociación Lírica Luis Mariano to a close, in which ERAGIYOK shone in the role of the regiment.
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The performance, part of the commemoration of the fifth centenary of the battle of Aldabe, moved the action to Irun on the day of San Marcial. The scenery and props included elements typical of the city, such as the reproduction of the castle of Gazteluzahar, which served as the dwelling of the Marquise of the same name. In any case, small adaptations that scrupulously respected the spirit of the play and achieved the audience's complicity.
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Singing and comedy in equal measure
In the case of a comic opera, there is a risk that this feature could replace or try to cover up artistic deficiencies, but this was not the case, far from it. All the protagonists were at their best.
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Starting with the secondary characters, Gorka Robles composed a Hortensius of great comedy. Maela Vergnes in the role of the Marquise of Gazteluzahar was a real treat for the audience to enjoy. Pablo López as Sergeant Sulpice was convincing as Marie's "adoptive father".
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Moving on to the two main roles, Haruo Kawakami had to cope with the character of Tonio and his well-known aria of the 9 high C-s. Such a repeated and sought-after passage subjects the singer to comparisons, and in this case Kawakami handled it well. Less well known, but even more complicated, is Pour me rapprocher de Marie, where he has to display careful phrasing. This was perhaps his finest moment of the evening.
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The great triumph of the evening came from Paula Sánchez-Valverde. The soprano from Navarre was making her debut as Marie, a complex and exhausting role, as she is on stage practically all the time. She managed to win the audience over with both her voice and her performance, in perfect symbiosis with her fellow cast members and the chorus.
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A high level regiment
In La fille du régiment the choir, in this case in gendarme's dress, plays a leading role. With its music, Donizetti makes it go through various moods, from exalted with a military-like performance in Dès que l'appel sonne, to furious at Marie's departure with the Marquise, to showing a mixture of rejection and indifference towards the feelings of the enamoured Tonio, and ending with the greatest of joys brought about by the reunion with his "daughter" and the celebration of the happy news of the marriage of the two young protagonists.
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On the musical side, the two solo interventions of the choir, the march Dès que l'appel sonne and the famous Rataplan were brilliantly resolved and received with applause. The audience appreciated ERAGIYOK's interpretation in both its musical and acting facets. Likewise, the appearances with Marie, responding to her couplets (Chacun le sait, chacun le dit), or with Tonio when he tries to convince the regiment of his sincere love for the young woman were highlights of the evening.
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Final triumph
The last scene, in which the village, performed by the Luis Mariano choir, the regiment and the main characters get together and celebrate a feast, in this case the day of San Marcial, was the perfect culmination to a great evening in which the audience sent off all the participants with a standing ovation and with the sensation of having witnessed a very good performance.
