Some concerts grab you by the throat from the first note. Others need time to grow on you. With Madre Selva, the program that Ensemble Vedado and singer-traverso player Diana Baroni brought during the final day of the phenomenal 40st Festival de l'Abbeye de Saint-Michel en Thiérarchie, I initially had the feeling it was one of those concerts. As I listened, I kept thinking of a beautiful English expression: it has to grow on you. Music that doesn't give away all its secrets at once, but slowly seeps in.
Madre Selva is an ode to nature, rooted in South American musical traditions but at the same time much more than that. In the program notes, the earth is presented as a universal mother. Even gold loses its shine eventually, we read, while life itself remains fragile and finite. The music invites us to return to what is essential: the beating of the heart, breathing, rituals, silence, and connection with nature.
More than once, the program brought me back to Haydn in terms of idea. The CreationNot because the music resembled it, but because the same sense of wonder about creation was continually present. Every step in nature seemed to be celebrated here. That feeling was further reinforced by the beautiful ballades of Tunde JegedeOne of his texts told that in the beginning there was not the word, but the vibration. A thought that resonates particularly powerfully in a program like this.
The music constantly moved between contemplation and celebration, between the earthly and the heavenly. One of the highlights for me was the Charpentier that flowed like a river through the program. The combination of the taut viola da gamba and subtle nature sounds worked beautifully. As if a little stream ran through a forest and brought everything to life along the way. But there was also room for lightness and joy. The Guanabana celebrated the sweetness of tropical fruit in a delightfully swinging atmosphere. Diana Baroni showed off her natural and supple voice wonderfully. It became even more lively in the song about a street vendor trying to sell her fruit. The number culminated in a real Mexican discussion between the musicians, a playful moment that visibly amused the audience.
But gravity was never far away. The song La muerte del animal was dedicated to the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela and was also used as a metaphor for the disappearance of poetry, literature, and love from our modern world. It was one of those moments when the music clearly took on a broader social meaning. Throughout the entire concert, poetry and the spoken word played an important role. Texts were spoken, sung, and woven into the music. During Heat the audience was even invited to chant along: "tambor, tambor, tambor". I must admit that I still don't know exactly what I was all chanting about, but it was infectious. Shortly after came The Afternoon Asking for Love one of the most tender moments of the afternoon. The song describes the mysterious transition from evening to night and was delivered by the ensemble with great refinement.
The abbey church also proved to be an ideal setting for this music. For centuries, the praises of creation were sung here daily. At almost the same hour, that happened again, albeit in a different musical language. And as if the symbolism wasn't grand enough, a bird suddenly flew freely through the choir of the church during the concert. At a moment like that, you can only think: this is absolutely perfect. The God who dwells here saw that it was good!
Ensemble Vedado was founded in Paris by the Cuban gambist Ronald Martin Alonso and distinguishes itself through a continuous dialogue between styles, periods, and cultures. Old and new, Europe and Latin America, classical music and folk music all find a place here. Alonso himself played the viola da gamba in a masterful way and combines great technical mastery with a pronounced personal vision. The Mexican Rafael Guel Frías switched effortlessly between Baroque guitar, flutes, singing, and various other instruments. After the performance, he told me that the score requires continuous concentration due to the great variety of instruments. Abraham Mansfarroll provided a colorful world of percussion that supported the entire concert.
And then there was, of course, Diana Baroni. The Argentine singer and traverso player has been one of the absolute reference points for historically informed performance practice for years. Her recordings, made with the greats of the world, remain the gold standard in the repertoire today. After the performance, she shared a small anecdote. She knew she had been in this abbey before, but only that morning remembered why: years ago she made a recording here with Leonhardt of Bach's wedding cantata.
What was even more important was what she then said about the friendship and love within the ensemble. According to her, these form the foundation of everything Vedado does. It sounded beautiful, but more importantly: you could see and hear it too. That perhaps came through most powerfully in the encore.
In an incredibly beautiful encore, the word girl kept returning again and again. The tenderness with which it was sung seemed to fill the entire abbey church. Suddenly it became clear what this concert was really about. Not about styles. Not about genres. Not about historically informed performance practice or crossover. But about the warmth and power of music, about authenticity, about human connection and that, that is the essence of Madre Selva.
It also explained why the applause at the end was so much more than a polite expression of gratitude. The audience applauded for a long time, but above all rhythmically. As if they wanted to actively participate in what had been created on stage. The five artists visibly received this appreciation with gratitude and emotion. And rightfully so. Because what initially seemed like a concert that needed time to grow had, by the end, developed into an experience that felt completely right. Like that bird above the choir. Like that abbey church. Like the music itself. Everything fit perfectly.
If you want to hear these fantastic artists in this meaningful program one more time: you can do so on August 23rd at the Festival de l'Été Mosan in Dinant.
