Catalan duo Tarta Relena performs as part of Chan Centre EXP series, April 9
The multilingual artists blend genres and transcend time with song
SPONSORED POST BY The Chan Centre
Tarta Relena. Photo by Juan de los Mares
The Chan Centre and Vancouver New Music present the Vancouver debut of Catalan duo Tarta Relena as part of their EXP series, in the Telus Studio Theatre on April 9 at 7 pm.
A pairing between contralto Marta Torrella and soprano Helena Ros, Tarta Relena reimagines song traditions across generations and geographies. The duo effortlessly blends modern and ancient sounds into spellbinding harmonies and hypnotic polyphony.
Drawing from Gregorian chants, Mediterranean folk music, and songs from Crete, Corsica, Mallorca, and Menorca, the vocal duo sings the stories of powerful, mythic women from Hildegard of Bingen and Virgin Mary to the Paixu tribe of women in Afghanistan.
For Tarta Relena, folk music is a living, mutable form—at once connected to the past, but simultaneously moving toward new futures. The duo’s magic lies in their live performances, which channel the stark simplicity of haunting vocal techniques derived from flamenco, traditional, and jazz, laced with subtle, pulsing electronics, and percussive patterns on a ceramic amphora.
Tarta Relena have released three acclaimed albums: Ora Pro Nobis, Intercede Pro Nobis, and Fiat Lux, in which they sing in multiple languages ranging from Spanish, Catalan, and Greek, to Latin, English, and even the Judeo-Spanish language of Ladino, also known as Sefardí. Though the origins of their songs can be millennia old, Pitchfork describes the duo’s vision of folk music as “no museum piece; it is contemporary, alive, and buzzing with portent.”
The EXP series, conceived of by Chan Centre curator-in-residence Jarrett Martineau, features category-defying creative artists as part of the organization’s 25th-anniversary celebrations.
Another highly anticipated artist coming to the Chan Centre this spring as a part of the EXP series is the Berlin-based Nils Frahm, a critically acclaimed post-classical musician and composer. Frahm’s sold-out concert on April 26 is in celebration of his latest album Music For Animals, released last fall. This is the final concert for the inaugural EXP series.
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts is part of the University of British Columbia’s Arts and Culture District, and hosts rehearsals and performances by the UBC School of Music and the UBC Department of Theatre and Film throughout the year.
Tickets for Tarta Relena can be purchased at the Chan Centre.
Post sponsored by the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
Tarta Relena. Photo by Juan de los Mares