“Clara Sanabras tonight presents a selection of songs from her forthcoming album, Scattered Flight: Songs of Spanish Exile, which have been arranged for choir and soloist by renowned British composer (and Clara’s partner) Harvey Brough. Songs of Spanish Exile is an elegy to the experience of exile, told in Catalan, Spanish and English. Clara sees it as an homage to her Hispanic roots, featuring brand new compositions, as well as traditional material referencing not only the Civil War but also the Spanish Diaspora of 1492.
At the heart of her performance is Clara’s musical setting of “El Recer del Vol Dispers”, a poem by Joan Llongueras (1880-1964) a celebrated Catalan poet, musician, teacherand Clara Sanabras’ great-grandfather. Translating as “Shelter from the scattered flight”, it describes the sentiment of exile that so many Spanish citizens endured during and after the Civil War of 1936. Some never returned to their homeland and those who did felt estranged for the rest of their lives.”
“Vox Holloway commissioned Reem Khelani, together with Vox Holloway founder and Artistic Director Justin Butcher and Composer-in-Residence Harvey Brough, to produce a new work that would combine traditional Palestinian songs with new musical settings of modern poems and literature, telling the Palestinian story through an observation of its hardships as well as a celebration of its culture and history. The resulting work, Cry Palestine, combines new songs with fresh arrangements of songs from Reem’s acclaimed 2006 debut CD, Sprinting Gazelle: Palestinian Songs from the Motherland and the Diaspora. Tonight, Cry Palestine receives its international debut.” From the programme notes
The concert raised over £10,000 for Hand in Hand for Syria. With thanks to Lukas Demgenski for the following videos.
Vox Holloway 