Trading Gifts: Iberia & the Arab World

The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival presents a concert of Spanish and Moorish music, from Martinetes to Sevillanas and Fandangos. Many rich classical and folkloric musics from Iberia and North Africa have their roots in the rich traditions of Andalusia, where before 1492 Moslem Moors, Spanish Christians and Sephardic Jews all lived and worked in close association and mutual respect. This concert also presents traditional North African Arab music that descends from this time, including a traditional-style Algerian improvisation on fortepiano and newer pieces. One delightful example of Flamenco-tinged Spanish court music from the Baroque period is the Sonata K. 89 by Domenico Scarlatti, played on the exotic 7-string viola d’amore with its numerous sympathetic resonating strings, accompanied by harpsichord somewhat in the manner of a flamenco guitarist.