José Marin, Serqueira de Lima, Juan Hidalgo, Santiago de Murcia, Sebastian Duron and José Martínez de Arce, all products of the 17th century, have something else in common as well: their compositions are almost never performed in Hungary's concert halls. Now, Magdalena Kožená - who developed an intimate relationship with the Spanish song repertoire and flamenco music while preparing for a production of Carmen - will demonstrate how the Iberian Baroque style matches the Spanish music of the 19th century in exoticism and passion. Interspersed between the Baroque songs will be the sounds and sights of flamenco, a type of folk singing accompanied by musical instruments and dance that was popularised by the Gypsies of Andalusia in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is no coincidence that this style of music combining the cultures of two peoples - each with their own gripping history and known for their fiery temperaments - has captivated the world ever since it first emerged from the Iberian peninsula.
One of the foremost singers of our time, Kožená approaches every kind of music with the same utter devotion, bringing to the stage an evocative personality marked by subtle melancholy and enchanting charm. Her partners - the members of the Compañia de Flamenco led by dancer and choreographer Antonio Ríos Fernández, known as Antonio El Pipa, and of the nearly two-decade-old Private Musicke under the direction of Pierre Pitzl, the "Jimi Hendrix of the Baroque guitar” - are themselves artists of no mean accomplishment. The latter ensemble has already given memorable concerts with the Czech mezzo-soprano, in addition to making several excellent recordings with her.

The concert will be preceded from 6.30 pm by a conversation entitled Prelude, where ticket holders will be invited to get to know the performing musician and the works to be performed more closely.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest