‘It’s a terrible mistake to believe that we must understand music in order to enjoy it. Music should never be made in order to be understood, but to be felt.’ The mezzo-soprano Silvia Tro Santafé is true to this dictum of the composer Manuel de Falla in a programme that presents a large palette of contrasting emotions: worry and hope, regret and optimism, bitterness and joy. These works by iconic Spanish composers introduce us to a host of flamboyant characters who celebrate Mediterranean culture, in which the scholarly, the popular, and cross- fertilisation of many kinds coexist. For this journey across the Iberian peninsula, we are in good company: Silvia Tro Santafé’s warm and generous tone has already won over La Monnaie audiences in performances of Eligabalo, La Cenerentola, Don Quixote and Lucrezia Borgia.

PROGRAMME

• Works by Enrique Granados, Joaquín Turina, Manuel de Falla and Xavier Monsalvatge