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With the joint participation of children’s choirs, orchestras and Basque instruments, musicians Noé Fernandez, Gaspar Jaurena, Alex Garate and Agustin Alonso presented “Magnificat” in Mendoza, Tucuman and Cordoba.  Now, and hoping to share the show and take it to more destinations, the artist are working on making a video.  Here is a taste in this EuskalKultura.com article. 

Cordoba, Argentina.  The work, Magnificat by Gipuzkoan composer, Josu Elberdin was presented for the first time in Argentina, and in America in 2012, at a recital performed in Mendoza as part of the Christmas concert of the regional Philharmonic Orchestra.

Organized by the prestigious choir directors, Lucia and Silvana Vallesi, the Basque work debuted with the participation of not only the orchestra, but also of a choir comprised of two hundred children from various local chorale institutions. Musicians included Alex Garate (accordion) and members of the group Baietz, Gaspar Jaurena (alboka) and Noé Fernández and Agustín Alonso on the txalaparta.

Encouraged by its success, the organizer performed the show two more times, in Tucuman in 2014, and in Cordoba, where the musicians reside, in August of 2015.  In regards to the latter, even without the orchestra, it was attended by school choirs from Los Olivos and Portezuelo, in Mendoza and the Children’s Choir in Cordoba.  The show took place at the Church of the Jesuits.

Audiovisual recording

The initiative that began in Mendoza thanks to Silvana and Lucia Vallesi, wasn’t just a success but it also became an opportunity, of which there are few, to hear a work by a Basque composer in Argentina performed with an alboka , txalaparta and accordion.  This is why the musicians are now making a video of the show to have a recording of their work.  As they explained to us, “We filmed the last concert, the one in Cordoba.  The video is currently being edited, but it will surely be done by the end of October.  The idea is to have a recording of the work so that we can take Magnificant to more cities.”

The work by Josu Elberdin is a piece for choir, orchestra, solos, trikitrixa, alboka, and txalaparta.  It is divided into seven fragments, fusing sacred and the folkloric, Basque and international.  If you would like a performance in your town, like those in Mendoza, Tucuman and Cordoba, contact Gaspar Jaurena.  Here is a teaser of the video here.