A La Fiesta! A Spanish Christmas – Cantoría

This recording celebrates the Christmas season and its music, but above all it offers an opportunity to discover a little-known Catalan composer, José de San Juan, one of the most famous of his time in Spain, born in Olot (Girona) in 1687 and who died in Madrid in 1735. The works featured on this album are villancicos, Christmas carols performed in churches, mainly during Christmas Matins (December 24) and Epiphany (January 5).

This music is brought back to life by Cantoría, a vocal ensemble specialising in the performance of the Iberian vocal repertoire of the Renaissance and early Baroque periods – their first album, recorded at the Centre culturel d’Ambronay in 2022, won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik – and by its founder, the singer Jorge Losana. Born in Murcia and now based in Barcelona, he is deeply committed to promoting the Spanish repertoire and cultural decentralisation through his extensive artistic and educational work.