Collection of music videos

The festivities in honour of the Virgen Blanca have been celebrated in Vitoria-Gazteiz since 1884 and begin on the eve, August 4th, in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca , located in the heart of the city, where thousands of Vitorians and visitors gather to kick off the festivities with the descent of Celedón . The celebration of festivities in honour of the Virgen Blanca dates back to very ancient times; until 1883, events called the " Fiestas de Vitoria " were held during the first week of September. From 1884, following a municipal agreement, they were moved to August 5th, in honour of the Virgen Blanca . In 1953, the municipal council established the festive calendar as it is known today.

Life during the festivities . The festivities begin with the descent of Celedón , a puppet representing an ancient Alava villager, who crosses the square via a pulley system. Upon reaching the balcony of the Church of San Miguel , now transformed into a living member of a group of blouses, the traditional aurresku is danced for him. Thus begins the festivities , which last from August 4th to 10th, with the 5th being the Day of the Virgen Blanca . The protagonists of these festivities are the cuadrillas de blusas , groups of Vitorians who, dressed in traditional costumes, organize and lead numerous activities. Various shows, concerts, and open-air dances are held throughout the city, and orchestras and brass bands operate twenty-four hours a day.

José Luis Ruiz de Gordoa , author of the music of Badator Zeledon , is a Composer and teacher born in Araia (Álava-Araba) on February 23, 1957. He began his musical studies at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Conservatory . He later continued his studies in harmony in Pamplona with Aurelio Sagaseta and Pedro de Felipe ; counterpoint and fugue in Bilbao with Juan Cordero , and composition, first in Madrid with Antón García Abril and Román Alís and, in Vitoria-Gasteiz , with Carmelo Bernaola ; he has also worked as an orchestra conductor with Enrique García Asensio . He is a professor of counterpoint and fugue at the Jesús Guridi Conservatory in Vitoria-Gasteiz and is the author of several works in various genres. ( Excerpt from Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia )

Joaquín Malats i Miarons (1872-1912) was a Catalan pianist and composer, who studied with Juan Bautista Pujol at the Barcelona Conservatory. After making his debut at the age of fourteen (1886), he continued his studies at the Paris Conservatory , where he won first prize for piano and the Diémer Prize in 1903. He performed throughout Spain, France and Portugal with extraordinary success. He premiered a large part of Isaac Albéniz 's masterpiece: Iberia . As a composer, he wrote Impressions of Spain , Suite for a large orchestra , a Spanish Serenade , a Trio for piano, violin and cello , and various works for piano: mazurkas, dances, serenades ... The Barcelona Music Museum houses press articles, a correspondence with Isaac Albéniz and a large photographic collection of portraits of the pianist.

The serenade is a musical form conceived for a single instrument or small instrumental ensemble, which may consist of one or more movements. It was a diversion that achieved enormous popularity during the 18th century ; it was played at dusk, often outdoors, and was a delight at evening gatherings in the gardens of aristocratic palaces. The term "serenade" comes from the Italian " sera " (veil) or "al sereno" (in the open air, under the open sky), meaning it is music to be performed outdoors and at dusk. The origin of the serenade lies in the ballads that lovers would sing in front of their beloved's windows at dusk when something had gone wrong in their relationship.

In this video, Basque guitarist Andrea González Caballero offers us this Spanish Serenade .

Hilario Extremiana (1958) is a composer and conductor born in Miranda de Ebro and based in Vitoria-Gazteiz . He began his musical studies with his father and with Manuel Celdrán . Later he studied Harmony and Composition in Vitoria with Carmelo Bernaola , and in Bilbao with Juan Cordero . In special courses he has also trained with Cristóbal Halffter, Luis de Pablo and Franco Donatoni . In Madrid he completed his higher studies in Composition with Antón García Abril and in Orchestra Conducting with Enrique García Asensio . He has been a professor of Harmony, Musical Forms and Director of the Orchestra of the Bilbao Conservatory and from 1999 to 2019 Principal Conductor of the Municipal Music Band of Vitoria-Gasteiz .

The txistu is a musical instrument belonging to the European family commonly known as the "three-hole flute." It is played with one hand (usually the left), leaving the other hand free to play the small drum that hangs from the arm used to play the txistu . Currently tuned in F, it is frequently accompanied by the whistle or txistu haundi , a lower-pitched instrument, tuned in B flat . The txirula , a higher-pitched instrument, belongs to the same family and is usually accompanied by the ttun ttun (string drum). The txistu is used in pilgrimages, parades, tributes, institutional events and in different types of concerts, both as a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra, and forming a small txistu band , in which case the works are usually written for three voices (txistu 1st, txistu 2nd and whistle) with accompaniment from the tambourine and the snare drum, drum or snare drum.

Today the txistulari Aitor Amilibia offers us the work Honai by Hilario Extremiana (a piece originally written for txistu and accordion and transcribed for txistu and Music Band by the same author) accompanied by the Municipal Music Band of Vitoria-Gasteiz conducted by the same maestro Extremiana , author of the composition.

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist, considered one of the main representatives of musical Romanticism. His mother, Gesine , was his first piano teacher; later, he met the legendary Norwegian violinist Ole Bull , a family friend and his mother's brother-in-law. Grieg adapted many themes and songs from Norwegian folklore, thus contributing to the creation of a Norwegian national identity, as Jean Sibelius did in Finland or Antonín Dvořák in Bohemia . His most important works are: the Piano Concerto in A minor , the intimate Lyric Pieces (for piano), the Holberg Suite (for string orchestra) and, especially, Peer Gynt, incidental music he wrote at the request of the writer Henrik Ibsen for his drama of the same name.

Catalogue of Grieg's works . His works are classified by their Opus number (from the Latin opus 'work'; op. abbreviation), which is a term used in music to catalogue the works of most composers since the 17th century .

The Holberg Suite, Op. 40 , originally titled " Suite from the Time of Holberg ", is a suite based on Baroque dance forms, composed by Edvard Grieg in 1884 to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of the writer Ludvig Holberg .

It was originally composed for piano, but a year later it was adapted for string orchestra in five movements: I (0´ 14´´) PRÆLUDIUM .-. II (2´47´´) SARABANDE .-. III (6´51´´) GAVOTTE .-. IV (10´06´´) AIR .-. V (17´39´´) RIGAUDON.

Today we offer it in an accordion version, performed by Chinese accordionist Ruilin Li .

En Tol Sarmiento , also known as ETS , is a Basque ska group formed in 2005 in Lekora/Yécora (Araba/Álava). Throughout their career, they have performed more than 300 concerts throughout the Basque Country . They are characterized by cheerful and powerful rhythms and lyrics, both in Basque and Spanish, that address different themes. Although the group began alternating hedonistic lyrics with social criticism, their lyrics have evolved towards an existentialist theme, although without losing their social commitment (they deal with controversial issues such as hydraulic fracturing, the right to self-determination, gender violence or bullying) and the cheerful rhythms that have always characterized the Alava quintet.

Joshua Groban (born February 27, 1981), better known as Josh Groban , is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and occasional actor. He made his singing debut in seventh grade, but later dropped out for a few years. From 1997 to 1998, he attended Interlochen Arts Camp Michigan , taking musical theater courses; it was then that he began taking vocal lessons outside of school. In 1998, he met his mentor and producer David Foster . He attended Los Angeles County High School for the Arts , graduating in 1999. He later earned a bachelor's degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University and was signed to Warner Bros. Records a year later by David Foster . Groban worked with Foster as a rehearsal singer on several highly acclaimed shows, including the 1999 Grammy Awards, where he performed " The Prayer " with Céline Dion as a replacement for Andrea Bocelli .

Four of his solo albums have been certified multi-platinum , and in 2007 he was named one of the best-selling artists in the United States ; to date, he has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was a Soviet composer, pianist, and conductor, widely regarded as one of the foremost composers of the 20th century and the creator of numerous masterpieces in a variety of musical genres. His works include such popular pieces as the march for The Love for Three Oranges , the suite Lieutenant Kijé , the ballet Romeo and Juliet , Peter and the Wolf ... Within the established forms and genres in which he worked, he created seven complete operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, one cello concerto, and nine completed piano sonatas. Upon his death, Arthur Honegger proclaimed that Prokofiev "will remain for us the greatest figure in contemporary music."

Cinderella ( Cendrillon, Cinderella ) is the Cinderella story , rendered in three acts , with music by Prokofiev . Today we attended the performance, with Sylvie Guillem as the principal dancer, accompanied by the Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris.

Dancing to music is a universal way to celebrate festivals around the world. During the Han Dynasty , over 2,000 years ago, each Spring Festival required grand celebratory ceremonies across the country, from the palaces to the hinterland. The "musical dance" was, without a doubt, the main spectacle of the occasion. What were music and dance like in the Han Dynasty ? Let's enjoy it! ( Excerpt from the video's footnote )