2023
Music by Vicente Goicoechea
39th Sacred Music Cycle - Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y del Manzano (Hondarribia) - 03/25/2023, 20:00
Allegro maestoso* (L. Urteaga) // Missa in Honorem Inmaculatae Conceptionis BMV (V. Goicoechea): I. Kyrie - II. Gloria - III. Credo - IV. Sanctus - V. Benedictus - VI. Agnus Dei // Tres interludios* (M. Rodríguez Seminario): I. Melodía angélica// Parce, Domine (L. Iruarrizaga) // Ave, verum corpus (V. Goicoechea) // Salve, Regina (V. Goicoechea)
*Organ solo
Conductor: Ander Simal Alberdi || Organist: Matías Sagreras
ERAGIYOK inaugurated the 39th edition of the Sacred Music Cycle that Eskifaia has been organising in Hondarribia since 1983, the oldest of its kind among those held in the Basque Country. The imposing Parish Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción y del Manzano was the setting for the premiere of Vicente Goicoechea's mass in honor of the Immaculate Conception.
The concert brought an important novelty with the presence of the Argentinean Matías Sagreras at the organ. Born in Buenos Aires, he studied music in his country before coming to the Basque Country to specialize in organ.
Since then he has given concerts in his native Argentina, as well as in the Basque Country, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, the United States, Brazil and Uruguay, both solo and accompanying important choirs and orchestras.
Sagreras himself opened the concert with a piece by Luis Iruarrizaga, before the main work of the concert, the Missa in Honorem Immaculatae Conceptionis B.M.V. by Vicente Goicoechea, written in 1903, the same year in which Pius X promulgated his motu proprio "Tra le sollecitudini", was performed from the altar.
Even though it was the first time that it performed this mass, the choir was confident and the work was to the liking of the public and organizers, all of them highlighting its beauty, as well as the work done by the organist and choir, emphasizing the timbre homogeneity of the different strings and the interventions of the soloists.
After a short break for the choir with a new solo intervention by Matías Sagreras, the choir resumed the concert recovering one of the sacred pieces of its repertoire, Parce, Domine by Iruarrizaga, before closing with two other works for choir and organ written by Goicoechea: Ave, verum corpus and the great Salve, Regina, about which the specialized magazine Música Sacro-Hispana said at the time, "I do not know that a simpler and more beautiful Salve has yet been written than this one that Maestro Goicoechea has just offered us." In truth, this is how his interpretation turned out, and some really remarkable passages such as the very delicate 'Eia ergo' brilliantly executed by the tenors or the beautiful 'O clemens, o pia' at the end.
A finishing touch to the premiere of a great work that would be talked about for the rest of the year.
Txistus and choir in Donostia
Municipal Band of Txistularis of San Sebastián & ERAGIYOK - Plenary Hall of the city council (San Sebastián) - 04/30/2023, 12:00
Ansola anaiak* (JI Ansorena) // Agur zaharra** (S. Salaberri) // Maitasun atsekabea** (J. Guridi) // Erromerian (B. Imaz) // Illunabarra (R. Sarriegi) // Bi eusko abesti (I. Busca Sagastizabal) // Kitolis (L. Aramburu) // Donostiko kaiean (JM Glez. Bastida) // Ara nun diran (JM Glez. Bastida) // Saratarra (JM Glez. Bastida) // Maite, eguzki eder (P. Sorozabal) // Kanta berri (P. Sorozabal) // Gernikako arbola (E. Gorosarri)
*Txistularis alone || **Choir alone
Conductor of ERAGIYOK: Ander Simal Alberdi || Conductor of the Txistularis Municipal Band: Jose Ignazio Ansorena Miner
ERAGIYOK performed in an extraordinary concert in the elegant Plenary Hall of San Sebastian town hall accompanied by the Municipal Txistularis Band.
This long-awaited concert finally arrived! The first attempt had taken place in 2021, but had to be delayed due to Covid. Later, both ensembles had the opportunity to coincide in the tribute to Pablo Sorozabal organized in 2022 by Donostia Musika at the Victoria Eugenia Theater in the city.
Taking advantage of the pleasant experience of that concert, they continued to collaborate. The work they had ahead of them was no small feat, since there are not so many works composed for txistu and choir (and even less, if possible, for male choirs). In addition, the particularities that the txistu offers in terms of tuning had to be taken into account.
An arrangement here, a soloist there, deciding where to reinforce the txistus and brass and where to tone them down... All of this was mixed in the cocktail shaker to obtain the final result: an attractive programme in which the Basque melodies and musicians took absolute centre stage.
Solo at the beginning
Jose Ignazio Ansorena acted as master of ceremonies, and guided the large audience along a path full of interesting stories and explanations.
The musicians began with a solo performance dedicated to the Ansola brothers: a work made up of four movements, where in each passage one of the instruments of the traditional group stood out, in homage to each of the brothers.
Next, and after the initial bars by the txistularis, the choir made its entrance singing a solemn Agur zaharra, to continue solo with Maitasun atsekabea.
Protagonism for San Sebastian
The program was closely linked to San Sebastian in one way or another. There was no lack of joyful kalejira (passacaglia), such as the well-known Erromerian by Bruno Imaz, and Donostiko kaiean, performed for the first time by ERAGIYOK. The piece written by González Bastida brought back memories of the times when the city's port had fishing activity.
In other works, Ansorena's own arrangements perfectly matched the skills of the txistularis and singers. This was the case in Illunabarra, melancholic but never sad, as Ansorena himself said. And similarly Kitolis, Ara nun diran or Saratarra.
Being in San Sebastian, the music of Pablo Sorozabal could not be missing. Maite, eguzki eder, the piece that the composer himself said gave him worldwide fame, and the humorous Kanta berri put a high level end to the concert program.
Precisely with that feeling of having witnessed a great concert, the spectators were able to enjoy an additional song, Gernikako arbola, "the hymn of the Basque Country that brings all its territories together", in the words of Piter Ansorena. An unbeatable ending!
Premiere of the AHOBER cycle
1st choral cycle of equal voices AHOBER - JATORKI Ahots Zuriak (Bilbao) & ERAGIYOK - Parish Curch (Astigarraga) - 03/06/2023, 20:00
ERAGIYOK: Agur zaharra (S. Salaberri) // Nere etxea (Aita Donostia) // Ara nun diran (J. M. Glez. Bastida) // Bi eusko abesti (I. Busca Sagastizabal) // Maitasun atsekabea (J. Guridi) // Kitolis (L. Aramburu) || JATORKI AHOTS ZURIAK: Ave maris stella (E. Ugalde) // Itsasoa ari zait (I. Azurmendi) // Neskatxena (P. Sorozabal) // Txiki txikitik (P. Sorozabal) // Izar ederra (P. Sorozabal) // Madrigal (J. Guridi) // A tu lado (J. Busto) // Itzali eziña (A. Larrauri) // Dzanga (E. Ugalde) || ERAGIYOK & JATORKI Ahots Zuriak: HIRU EUSKAL KANTA (Aita Donostia) - I. Ene maitia; II. Ama; III. Uso xuria // CHANTON PIPERRI (B. Zapirain): Euskalerriko semiak/alabak gera.
Conductor of ERAGIYOK: Ander Simal Alberdi
Conductor of JATORKI Ahots Zuriak: Joxean Llorente Etxeberria
JATORKI Ahots Zuriak and ERAGIYOK kicked off the AHOBER choral cycle in the church of Astigarraga in a concert dedicated to Basque composers.
ERAGIYOK acted as host, performing some of the classics from their repertoire to leave the main role to the Bilbao ensemble.
The participation of JATORKI Ahots Zuriak was brilliant. They masterfully alternated well-known works by classical composers such as Guridi and Sorozabal with contemporary composers such as Eva Ugalde, Idoia Azurmendi or Javier Busto.
After starting with Ave maris stella by Eva Ugalde, the memory of the recently deceased Idoia Azurmendi in Itsasoa ari zait was moving. The two passages taken from Sorozabal's work Neskatxena , Neskatxena itself and Txiki txikitik , sounded joyful, while Jesus Guridi's Madrigal was melancholic.
Back to the contemporary composers, they performed A tu lado, the habanera by Javier Busto that has gone around the world, and Itzali eziña, a piece written by Antón Larrauri in the 70s. They ended by returning to the sea with Dzanga, by Eva Ugalde.
As a finale, both groups joined together to sing three popular pieces by Aita Donostia, grouped under the title Hiru euskal kanta .
After an exchange of souvenirs, there was still room for an encore featuring Euskalerriko , the hymn from the opera Chanton Piperri . A grand finale for the inauguration of the AHOBER cycle.
Great performance in Segovia
Encounter of equal voices: TuttoVoce & ERAGIYOK - Teatro Juan Bravo (Segovia) - 06/17/2023, 20:30
TUTTOVOCE: Contigo aprendí (A. Manzanero) // Luna cautiva (C. Rodríguez) // Lágrimas negras (M. Matamoros) // Nostalgias (E. Cadícamo / JC Cobián) || ERAGIYOK: Agur, jaunak (J. Olaizola) // Kitolis (L. Aramburu) // Saratarra (JM Glez. Bastida) // Euskalerria (P. Sorozabal) || TUTTO VOCE: Esta tarde vi llover (A. Manzanero) // Te quiero (A. Favero) // Piel canela (B. Capó) || ERAGIYOK: RIGOLETTO - Zitti, zitti, moviamo a vendetta (G. Verdi) // DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE - O Isis und Osiris (WA Mozart) // Negra sombra (Rosalía de Castro / X. Montes) // MARINA - Coro de marineros ( E. Arrieta) || TUTTOVOCE & ERAGIYOK: Silencio (R. Hernández) // Maite (P. Sorozabal) // Boga, boga (J. Guridi)
Conductor of TuttoVoce: Miguel Gálvez Yubero
Conductor of ERAGIYOK: Ander Simal Alberdi
Pianist: Miren Gabirondo Olazabal
ERAGIYOK and TuttoVoce met last Saturday at the Teatro Juan Bravo in Segovia where they starred in a meeting of bass voices coinciding with the 24th anniversary of the Segovian group. After having coincided in the Cant'A Choeur Festival that took place last July in the French town of Dax, ERAGIYOK was invited to participate in this concert organized by the Provincial Council of Segovia.
The performance offered the opportunity to hear the different musical styles that the two choirs perform. TuttoVoce included boleros, tangos and poems set to music, pieces that were well known and loved by the public such as Piel canela , Contigo aprendí or Esta tarde vi llover.
For its part, ERAGIYOK, accompanied by Miren Gabirondo on the piano, performed a selection of Basque music with works by Olaizola, Sorozabal, Gonzalez Bastida and Aramburu, and lyrical repertoire with fragments of opera and pieces recently added to the repertoire such as Negra Sombra or the Coro de marineros from the opera Marina .
The atmosphere in the hall was warming up and each song was followed by loud applause, which became even more evident when, once the official program was over, they joined together for a joint finale sharing works from both of their repertoires. Thus, ERAGIYOK could be heard for the first time singing to bolero rhythm in Silencio, while the group from Segovia did the same with the famous zortziko Maite by Pablo Sorozabal.
At the insistence of the audience, there was still time for one more encore, a vibrant Boga boga, after which the standing audience burst into applause to say goodbye to ERAGIYOK and TuttoVoce. A concert that will remain in the audience's memory for a long time and that will probably not be the last one in which ERAGIYOK and TuttoVoce will perform together.
Voces Graves de Madrid and ERAGIYOK shine in the AHOBER cycle
1st choral cycle of equal voices AHOBER - Voces Graves de Madrid & ERAGIYOK - Erribera kulturgunea (Astigarraga) - 07/10/2023, 19:00
ERAGIYOK: Euskal-Erria (J. J. Gainza) // Negra sombra (X. Montes) // Zugana, Manuela (T. Garbizu) // Maite miña (J. M. Glez. Bastida) || Voces Graves de Madrid: Dicit illis Pilatus (Aita Madina) // Agur, Maria (Aita Madina) // Pater noster (J. Guerrero)// Tenebrae facta sunt (J. Busto) // Ave maris stella (E. Ugalde) // Boga, boga (J. Guridi) // Saludaré (J. Elberdin) // Sorgin dantza (E. Mocoroa) || Voces Graves de Madrid & ERAGIYOK: Izar ederrak (J. Elberdin) // Segalariak (J. Elberdin)
Conductor of ERAGIYOK: Ander Simal Alberdi
Conductor of Voces Graves de Madrid: Juan Pablo de Juan
On Saturday afternoon, the second event of the AHOBER choral cycle took place in Erribera kulturgunea, attended by a good number of fans.
The first works were carried out by the host ERAGIYOK. In chamber formation, it performed some of the songs that they have added this year to the repertoire, such as Euskal-Erria, which offers a description full of lyricism of the Basque landscape, or Negra Sombra , the famous Galician work by Juan Montes on the verses of Rosalía. de Castro. They also took advantage of the occasion to recover some of the pieces performed at the beginning of its career such as Maite-miña , an adaptation in Basque of the popular Troika from Russian folklore.
After this beginning, the large group from Madrid, formed by forty-five singers, took the stage to offer, in their own words, "a musical stroll" where they alternated pieces of sacred music with some classics of Basque folklore. The works of a religious nature corresponded to part of the Sakratu program that the ensemble conducted by Juan Pablo de Juan has prepared for 2023. Highlights included Tenebrae factae sunt, which the choir dedicated to the great maestro Javier Busto, who was present in the hall, and works by two contemporary Basque composers, Pater noster by Junkal Guerrero and Ave maris stella by Eva Ugalde. Particularly moving was Saludaré by Josu Elberdin, which addresses the plight of migrants who are forced to leave their place of origin in search of a better life. In a more festive tone, they found the audience's complicity by inviting them to sing Boga boga, or with the interpretation of a simulated akelarre in Sorgin dantza.
Joint final of the two choirs
The high point of the afternoon came at the time of the encores. The exchange of souvenirs showed the good atmosphere prevailing between the two choirs, which was well reflected in the interpretation of the last two songs, Izar ederrak and Segalariak , both by Josu Elberdin and with which the Basque composer has achieved international recognition as they have transcended our field being interpreted by choirs from the five continents.
This was a brilliant culmination to a great concert within this cycle that will have its next date on December 23rd.
Sacred music and Christmas carols to close AHOBER
1st choral cycle of equal voices AHOBER - ERAGIYOK & Matías Sagreras & Oiasso Boskotea - Parish Church Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Astigarraga) - 23/12/2023, 7:00 p.m.
Missa in Honorem Inmaculatae Conceptionis BMV (V. Goicoechea): I. Kyrie - II. Glora - III. Credo - IV. Sanctus - V. Benedictus - VI. Agnus Dei // Artzayak (J. Olaizola) // Villancico al Niño Jesús (V. Larrea) // Suite de Navidad (T. Aragüés Bernad) // Ator, mutil (J. Guridi)
The last event of the cycle of equal voices took place in the church of Astigarraga and was a complete success, according to the response of an audience that attended in good numbers.
The choir, accompanied by the organist Matías Sagreras and the string quintet Oiasso Boskotea, offered in the first part a mass by Vicente Goicoechea dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, where the participation of up to nine different soloists could be counted.
In the part dedicated to Christmas carols, the highlights were Artzayak by José Olaizola, with the soloist intervention of the baritone Ramon Santxez, who received a long ovation, and Villancico al Niño Jesús by the composer Valentín Larrea, a little known musician whose work ERAGIYOK intends to recover. Suite de Navidad by Tomás Aragüés, which brought together a good handful of well-known Christmas melodies, brought the official program to a close.
After thanking institutions and companies for their help in setting up AHOBER and inviting the audience to the 2024 edition, the choir was faithful to its tradition by singing Ator, mutil by Jesús Guridi as an encore and a capella, the carol with which it began its journey five years before and won the prize at the Errenteria Provincial Festival of Christmas Carols.
In this way, ERAGIYOK put an end to 2023 in which he performed fourteen times, interpreting more than fifty works.
