Here is the first video of the Cançons Populars Catalanes – project I hope you will like it!
Cansó del Lladre – Miguel Llobet
Guitar: Domingo Esteso (1930) gut strings
Cansó del Lladre is one of the most famous and played of the Miguel Llobet collection of arrangements.
Just looking at the title, the Thief’s song, we could be disorientated by the contrast between the image of the thief and the melancholy and nostalgic character of the music. Reading carefully the text we discover lyrics with a very deep and poignant meaning.
The song narrates, firsthand, the life of a bandit, from his childhood and youth to his illegal activities. It is with the refrain that the deep meaning of the song is revealed:
Adéu clavell morenet
Adéu estrella del dia,
(Goodbye brown carnation
Goodbye star of the day,)
The thief remembers his life and his mistakes in the solitude of his cell, waiting for the death sentence. His words are an intimate confession, in which seeks forgiveness, authentically repentant for his mistakes.
The beautiful arrangement of Llobet manages to highlight both the emotions of nostalgia and pace with his use of harmony and the lost hopes and anger for the mistakes made in the most musically dynamic moments.
Cançons Populars Catalanes – project
Guitar: Domingo Esteso (1930) gut strings
Audio – video:
Giovanni Tammaro
In collaborations with: Gabriele Lodi, @TouchTheSound project, TU Dublin Conservatoire