IMAGINE - Spain
Music Connects Europe!
We didn't find our representant for Spain in Spain, but in France! Last september during the partnership celebrations in St. Quentin, a wonderful city in Northern France. It's the partner city of our town Kaiserslautern in Germany, but as well the partner city of San Lorenzo, near Madrid. We played with Duo ICstrings on the European celebration festival in St. Quentin and a group of Spanish artists performed there, too. It was an ensemble of Dulcaina, the traditional instrument of mid Spain (Castille y Leon), accompagnied by charming traditional dancers. We got along very well with them, admired their performance and spent lots of time with them in France, talking, celebrating and drinking the famous traditional French liquors...
Months later, we were traveling to Spain and decided to ask their "leader" David, the first dulcaina player and musical chief of the ensemble to be the Spanish artist in our video "IMAGINE". On Easter Sunday at 11am, we met in the Music conservatory where David is professor for Dulcaina to record the audio take for IMAGINE. He was perfectly prepared and composed an amazing melody that fitted with the original, improvising in interesting harmonies around John Lennon's theme! The sound of this instrument could be described like a mixture of oboe and trumpet. His playing was so intense and the sound filled every corner of the room. Mixing the recording with our duo version of IMAGINE, we were amazed, how this wonderful instrument fitted perfectly together!
Time to record the video! We trusted David to decide about the recording spot on the highest point of the town, the baroque gardens of a castle with the magic view on the San Lorenzo Monastery, surrounded by mountains, the perfect spot for our video! We drove there, entered the main gate, but the very strict security men forbid us to enter with the instruments, filming was not allowed! What a dissapointment! But David didn't give up! He called the major of San Lorenzo who happened to assist at the easter procession in this moment. I don't know what he told him, but somehow, half an hour later, the security guy was suddenly very friendly and there was no problem to film at all... he even offered us his help to carry the instruments and equipment! And during recording, he took pictures from us with his cellphone...
After recording, we celebrated until the late night with the whole group of dancers and musicians waiting for us in the local pub, making us discover their city, lifestyle and lots of food and Spanish liquors... A perfect IMAGINE day!!