The seventh festival of ancient music in La Vila Joyosa is about to begin. La Vila del Joy celebrates the agreement between the Town Hall and the Parish that enables our Festival to return to the Church of the Assumption, built in the Catalan Gothic style in the 16th century, and ideal setting to enjoy the sound of the voices and historic instruments in which the melodies of those times were given voice.

 

The Festival commences on Sunday the 26th September with the musical group Trobada directed by Francesc Valldecabres presenting the programme “ La Dolçe Melodia “  dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of Pasqual Fuentes Alcásser . This composer was born in Aldaia in the year 1721 and in 1757 was named capella  master of the Cathedral of Valencia. His Lamentations are distinguished by their robust harmony, by their formal simplicity  and by their assimilation of the Italian language blending the Baroque with  Classicism.

 

On Sunday  3rd October we have one of the most innovative groups to have emerged from Girona. The flautist, Sara Parés, the accordionist  Perepaua Ximenis and the percussion and oriental instruments of Àlex Guitart let us move between the traditional music of Mediterranean and Celtic Europe, the Middle East and India, joining up the “classical” music of the Medieval and Baroque times. A bridge is formed betwen  Ancient music and Folk music.

 

The closure of the Festival will take place on Saturday 9th October with the group Lucentum XVI, commemorating the 450th anniversary of the death of Francsc de Borja ( Gandia, 1510 – Rome 1572) as well as the 350th anniversary of his canonisation in 1671. Francesc was 4th duke of Gandia and  Viceroy of Catalunya, later entering the Jesuit order. In this concert we present the Passion according to Saint Matthew, which Ferran D'Aragó, Viceroy of Valencia  and Duke of Calabria. commissioned from the Flemish composer Jan Nasco as a gift to the Cathedral of Valencia.In addition music will be performed which accompanied the lives of his Borja antecedents, Pope Calixt lll and Alexandre Vl.