The Songbook from the Eldorado is a fascinating musical tale about the tremendous culture clash which took place in Latin America during the 17th century and 18th century, where the New World was built, for good or for bad, by three very unlike population groups; the Europeans, the Indians and the Africans.
The Songbook music is retrieved from 17th and 18th century Spanish and Latin American sources. The genre is baroque, but a very different kind of baroque music. These lively pieces are often based on popular songs and ballads of that time, and also make an extend use of rhythmic structures from many popular dances, such as sarabanda, bolero and fandango.
Also parts of the instrumentarium are unusual; In addition to the more common continuo instruments such as the harp, the violin, the viol and the harpsichord, this particular baroque program also features "exotic" instruments like organetto, cuatro, keenan flute, mouth-gigs, maracas, castanets and other percussion instruments. Inspired by a Mexican architectural term, we’ve named the music style barroco popular.
Signe Asmussen: Soprano, violin
Anne Marie Høst Mortensen: Harp, vocals
Mogens Rasmussen: Viol
Ernesto Manuit Hernández: Cuatro, percussion, vocals
Poul Udbye Pock-Steen: Harpsichord, organetto, indian flutes, percussion