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About composer Calixto Álvarez
Calixto Álvarez is a prominent Cuban composer, born March 25, 1938, in Santa Isabel de las Lajas, Cuba. Álvarez developed an early interest in musical instruments and later studied at the Havana Conservatory. He completed his studies in Piano, Organ, and Composition in the United States. After further studies in Poland, he returned to Cuba, where he had the opportunity to learn from notable figures such as Leo Brouwer, José Ardévol, and Federico Smith.
Calixto Álvarez has composed music for various instruments and choirs, as well as for theater productions, including Las impuras and La duodécima noche.
About Confutatis
Confutatis is one of the movements from Calixto Álvarez’s Osun Requiem. This composition bridges the gap between traditional Cuban music and Western classical music. The Osun Requiem is inspired by the Afro-Cuban religion, particularly by the goddess Osun (also spelled Oshun), a significant figure in the Yoruba religion and Santería. Osun is the Orisha (deity) of love, fertility, and rivers, and she is often associated with beauty, sensuality, and wealth.
This work, along with other movements from the Osun Requiem, was performed by Cappella Amsterdam under the direction of conductor Leonard Evers as part of the concert series ¡La otra Cuba!. At the request of Cappella Amsterdam, the concert was filmed by Big Ears Productions at Amare, The Hague. The audio was recorded by A-A-AUDIO.
lyrics
Aungba guaori Agua osun agua oma lei yao bobo e gua caoki
Confutatis maledictis
Flamis acribus addictis
Voca me cum benedictis
Oro suplex et acclinis
Cor contritum quasi cinis
Gere curam mei finis.
performers
Cappella Amsterdam
Martha Galarraga singer
Grupo AKE batá (percussion)
Pedro Ricardo Henry dancer
Leonard Evers conductor
Kenza Koutchoukali final director
Floriaan Ganzevoort lighting designer
Arien de Vries costume designer
