Background: ‘Cantigas’

In February 2020, on the eve of the first Covid-19 lockdown, Cappella Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra came together for a special project. Composer and conductor Leonard Evers brought the choir and ensemble together for the Cantigas de Santa Maria. This resulted in a special evening at Amsterdam’s Podium Mozaïek. Now, three years later, this project is getting a follow-up.

On Feb. 23, 2020, four members of Cappella Amsterdam and four members of the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra performed a selection of Marian songs at Amsterdam’s Podium Mozaïek. The songs were juxtaposed with some surviving Arabo-Andalusian songs dating from the same time.

Evers and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra have not been idle in recent years. Now, more than three years later, the continuation of research into the connections between the Cantigas and music from the Maghreb is taking place. Meanwhile, Jamal Ben Allal joined the team. The Moroccan musicologist did doctoral research on Andalusian music and has studied the Cantigas extensively.

With the help of Ben Allal, Cappella Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra will be able to perform the Cantigas in an even more authentic way, specifically from a traditional Andalusian point of view. Whereas the previous edition alternated between the Cantigas and Andalusian songs, the two dimensions were now more woven together. In the process, parts will be sung in Arabic, where previously it was only in Galician. Cappella Amsterdam will be represented in this edition with eight singers, and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra has added two additional traditional Arabic instruments on Ben Allal’s advice. All this makes for an even richer sound.